Hellas Melbourne seems tailor-made for the new national championship. The South Melbourne side marched to victory at Sydney Olympic’s ground, booking their ticket to the quarter-finals of the competition with a hard-fought win.

The decisive moment for Cohadzic’s lads came deep in stoppage time, courtesy of a cracking strike from Bilal Habib. The former Altona Magic man latched onto the ball just outside the Olympic box in the 92nd minute and, without a second thought, unleashed a belter of a shot that rocketed into the right corner, leaving the Sydney keeper helpless.

With this win, Hellas have cemented their place among the final eight of the tournament. Photo: Con Deves

Earlier, the hosts had taken the lead through Auglah in the 31st minute, only for Lampard to level things up for Hellas in the 83rd.

With this win, Hellas have cemented their place among the final eight of the tournament. It means they can approach next weekend’s clash against Broadmeadow as a solid hit-out ahead of the demanding road still to come in this long and gruelling season.