A second-half comeback saw our Lions Men complete a 2-1 victory against Marlin Coast Rangers in Cairns to advance to the Kappa QLD Cup Final
After a morning flight from Brisbane to Cairns, our Lions Men travelled to the beautiful home of the Marlin Coast Rangers at Trinity Beach.
A shock saw the hosts surge in behind, finding the breakthrough with a clinical finish.
From there, we were made to suffer as the Rangers embarked on a valiant defensive quest in front of a raucous home crowd. Jerson Lagos saw a firm strike blocked before Shaun Carlos skewed a glancing header inches shy of the top left corner.
An impeccable run and pass from Jackson Hart-Phillips ended with his first-time effort missing the target. Luke Broderick and Blair Ponting both came close to no avail, and the first half ended with our Lions Men trailing.
No room for error after the break, and Shaun Carlos came close to an early equaliser with a pointed header from Rahmat Akbari’s delivery. Shaun, moments later, struck the left post with a lethal effort, and Mitch Hore blasted a powerful effort over the crossbar.
With time ticking away, the Marlin Coast Rangers wall was finally overcome, with Blair Ponting rising at the back post to direct a powerful header into the back of the net!
68′ | 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐀𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐋!!!
GET IN BLAIR PONTING!! A BRILLIANT HEADER AND A DESERVING EQUALISER 🔥🔥🔥
𝐌𝐂𝐑 1 – 1 𝐋𝐈𝐎#HeartPridePassion | #KappaQueenslandCup pic.twitter.com/2lpNO86hhT
— Lions FC (@lionsfc1) July 25, 2026
Two minutes later, Shaun Carlos popped up with a brilliant strike to flip the scoreline!
71′ | 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐎𝐀𝐀𝐀𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐋𝐋𝐋!!!
THERE IT IS!!! SHAUN CARLOS COMPLETES THE TURNAROUND WITH A LETHAL STRIKE INTO THE BOTTOM LEFT 🚀
𝐌𝐂𝐑 1 – 2 𝐋𝐈𝐎#HeartPridePassion | #KappaQueenslandCup pic.twitter.com/4j5Hpc2h56
— Lions FC (@lionsfc1) July 25, 2026
We maintained control and secured our progression to the Kappa Queensland Cup Final for the second time!
MATCH DETAILS:
Kappa Queensland Cup: Semi-Finals
Marlin Coast Rangers 1 – 2 Lions FC
Goalscorers:
Blair Ponting 68′
Shaun Carlos 71′
𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 | THIS TEAM NEVER STOP 🦁😤
We were made to suffer in a fiery & physical affair in Cairns, but as always, we let our football do the talking and return to the QLD Cup Final again 🔥⏩#HeartPridePassion pic.twitter.com/yGS63sqhyj
— Lions FC (@lionsfc1) July 25, 2026
