HIGH-flying Musgrave were dumped out of the Dog & Parrot FA Cup by a resurgent Broadbeach Utd on Saturday night, with the visitors running out 3-2 winners after a physical clash at Keith Hunt Park.
Broadbeach booked their semi-final berth thanks to a double from Japanese forward Shunya Yanai and a late Chris Broadfoot strike, and it was just reward for a battling performance from Simon Kalaba’s men.
Yanai got Broadbeach off to a flying start when he finished off a flowing breakaway from the visitors. Broadfoot swept the ball out to the right hand side and Luke Glanz’s first time cross found Yanai with enough time to side-step his marker and smash home the opener.
A determined United were winning most of the fifty-fifty tackles and dominated the aerial battle as Musgrave huffed and puffed to little effect. Their pressure game rattled Musgrave but the home side felt they should have had a 30th minute penalty when Leo Langone’s weaving run into the box was ended by a clumsy tackle.
No spot-kick was awarded but Musgrave needed no assistance two minutes later when Maxi Reca fired in an unstoppable equaliser after slipping past two defenders on the edge of the box.
Broadbeach almost restored their lead soon after when Yanai forced Musgrave ‘keeper Federico Sienra into a fine one-handed save and at the other end Felipe De Amorin went close for the hosts.
Just before the interval Yanai was more clinical with his next effort after moving cleverly into space to get on the end of a fine through ball. The striker cut inside his defender and crashed a low shot past Sienra to send United into the dressing room in buoyant mood.
Their commitment continued after the break with Luke Glanz’s tireless running epitomising the Broadbeach work ethic. Glanz was lucky to escape with just a yellow card in the 51st minute though when his over-exuberant challenge cracked the patience of the referee and could have attracted heavier punishment.
As the game wore on United’s defence retreated and Musgrave carved out two glorious chances to restore parity. Both times the culprit was Ashley Hustwayte who first fired wide when unmarked at the edge of the box, then ten minutes later fluffed his shot from eight metres.
Musgrave were made to pay for their wastefulness in the 85th minute when Chris Broadfoot capitalised on some indecisive defending to grab the third goal for United.
A minute later Reca reduced the deficit with his second of the game but it was too little, too late for Musgrave who have now tasted defeat for the first time this season.
