Ex-Western Sydney Wanderers attacker Zac Sapsford produces stellar display in UEFA Europa Conference League
Sapsford, who joined the Tangerines in the off-season on a three-year deal from Western Sydney Wanderers, earnt huge praise from his manager Jim Goodwin after the first-leg clash in Vienna on Friday morning (AEST).
'It was a big night – he's had a great start,' Goodwin told reporters.
'The supporters have really taken to him in his willingness and desire to work hard off the ball and technically he's very good and retains possession really well.
'You want your strikers up and running early.'
85’ | A goal and an assist from Zac Sapsford has #DUFC level heading into the final stretch 🛣�
🟢 2�⃣-2�⃣ � | #SKRUTD | #UECL pic.twitter.com/pz010GmfdJ
— Dundee United FC (@dundeeunitedfc) August 7, 2025
With his side down 1-0, Sapsford, 22, set up the Tangerines' opener in the 33rd minute for Max Watters, cutting into Rapid's penalty area before laying the ball off for his English teammate.
Things got even better for the former Australian under-17 international in the 75th minute with his team trailing 2-1.
Fed by Croatian teammate Ivan Dolcek, Sapsford held off Rapid's Serbian defender Nenad Cvetkovic, wrapped a foot around a bouncing ball and struck it into the corner of the net despite being off balance.
It was Sapsford's second Europa Conference League goal for the Tangerines, having also netted in a second-round qualifier against Luxembourg club UNA Strassen.
'I like to work hard,' he told BBC Scotland after the draw in Vienna.
'No matter what I do, I like to come off the pitch with everything left on the field.
'I'm really pleased with the whole team today. We all put a shift in and keep the tie alive going back to Dundee.
'The whole team is buzzing.'
The second leg of the qualifier takes place next Friday morning (AEST) at Tannadice.
Before then, Sapsford is set to cross paths with Australian midfielder Cameron Devlin when the Tangerines host Hearts in a Scottish Premiership clash on Monday morning (AEST).
Meanwhile, Socceroos attacker Martin Boyle was also on the scoresheet in a Europa Conference League third-round qualifier on Friday morning, netting both of Hibernian's goals in the Scottish club's 2-0 first-leg away win over Serbian outfit Partizan Belgrade.
Hibs manager David Gray lauded Boyle, who captained a team that also included Australian defender Jack Iredale, for his performance.
'Martin Boyle constantly delivers for this club,' Gray told BBC Scotland.
'I spoke a lot last season about him and the leadership skills. He needed that extra responsibility to take him on to the next level and he's delivering.'
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Daily Telegraph
8 hours ago
- Daily Telegraph
AFL news Geelong superstar Jeremy Cameron late to his own party in Cats win over Essendon
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News. All attention was on one man in Geelong on Friday night, but Jeremy Cameron was late to the party, in more ways than one. The Cats were too strong for the young Bombers, recording a comfortable 15.19 (109) to 10.5 (65) win, with Cameron missing some chances and finishing with 4.5 to move to 79 goals for the season. The Cats superstar came into the clash on 75 goals for the season, miles clear in the Coleman Medal race and with speculation rife he could kick the magical ton this season. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. Cameron himself admitted pre-match there was 'too much focus' on the 100-goal chase, but it clearly wasn't phasing the man from tiny Dartmoor in southwest Victoria. The 32-year-old sheepishly admitted before the opening bounce he was 30 minutes late getting to the ground as he tended to his farm, which is around 20 minutes outside Geelong. He then kept the Fox Footy crew waiting for an interview while he took a few more warm-up shots on goal and the commentators tried desperately to fill the time. Jordan Lewis tries to get Jeremy Cameron's attention as he takes another shot. Photo: Fox Sports Garry Lyon and Jordan Lewis both tried to get Cameron's attention before he finally sauntered over. 'I'll see if I can grab his attention,' Lyon said. 'No, he's having another shot.' When he did arrive, they couldn't resist some gentle ribbing. 'Jezza we've been padding for five minutes,' Lyon said. Lewis then chimed in with: 'Mate the game's about to start.' Once the interview did get underway, the former GWS star was naturally asked about the pursuit of the ton. 'Too much focus I reckon,' he said. 'Everyone asks about it, pretty much everywhere you go, especially the kids and that. 'That's all good fun, but I don't take myself too seriously, sort of try to laugh it off and have fun out there with the boys and that's what I'll be doing again tonight.' When he was asked about his overall approach, Cameron was true to form when he said with a grin: 'It changes for each individual. I got here half an hour late, which was spot on for me. 'That's how I sort of approach it. I did the last check-up (at the farm), just made sure everything's OK. 'Everyone's got their own prep and from there we're pretty steely focused.' Cameron was also late to his interview. Photo: Fox Sports During a big build-up to a match that wasn't expected to be overly challenging for Geelong against the lowly Bombers, goalkicking great Jason Dunstall talked about the chase for the century of goals last achieved by Buddy Franklin way back in 2008. 'I think he doesn't want to think about it too much, but it's there, front of mind, make no mistake,' Dunstall said. 'When you're a goalkicker you know exactly how many you have, you know what you're chasing and he's not far away.' Boundary rider Cam Mooney then stunned everyone by picking a big key forward to kick a bag of goals … only it wasn't Cameron. Shannon Neale (right) stole the spotlight from Cameron in the first quarter. (Photo by) 'I think that man right there is going to be the man tonight,' Mooney said as the camera panned to another big Geelong forward, Shannon Neale. 'He might kick the bag. It's not going to be Jeremy Cameron, I'm sorry guys, it's going to be this man, Shannon Neale. 'Everyone's going to be too interested in stopping Jezza.' Mooney proved he's somewhat of a Nostradamus as Neale duly kicked the first three goals of the game over the opening 12 minutes. 'Shannon Neale came in as the support act, but he has grabbed the early running,' Gerard Whateley said 10 minutes into the game. 'Two goals for Neale.' Two minutes later, Neale had his third and Lyon quipped: 'I don't know if Cam Mooney's got the Tatts Lotto numbers, I tell you what.' 'The count is on,' Whateley added. 'Just not the count we were expecting.' It took until six minutes into the second term for Cameron to finally get his chase moving. He took a contested mark on a tight angle and had no issue stepping back and slotting goal No. 76 for the year. 'Jeremy Cameron, it's such a beautiful kick, and that's the rise the crowd was looking for,' Whateley said. Cameron gradually worked his way into the game. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images) Four minutes later he kicked his second from another contested mark with Mooney saying: 'Listen to the crowd.' Anthony Hudson then stated: 'For a career-best 77 goals, he was late to the game and late to get started, but he's off and running now Jeremy Cameron. 'That is two.' That 77th goal was one clear of his previous best, the 76 he kicked for the Giants back in 2019. The Cats took a 27-point lead into the halftime break and Hudson said: 'Eyes will turn again to Jeremy Cameron in the second half.' Liam McMahon impressed for the young Bombers. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images) Instead, another key forward started to make his mark on the contest. Bombers youngster Liam McMahon managed one goal in each of the first two quarters and then two more in the third as the 23-year-old continued to give long-suffering Essendon fans some hope for the future. 'Jeremy who?' Hudson said when McMahon slotted his fourth. The Bombers closed to within three goals in a surprisingly competitive second half without really threatening to pull off the massive upset. Cameron was able to flex his muscles in front of goal in the final term, kicking two goals in a four-minute period to move to 79. He had another chance in the dying minutes. 'You felt like he had to get to 80 tonight to be a legit chance,' Whateley added. 'Not just a 'let's talk it up chance'.' But he pushed the shot across goal, with Dunstall saying glumly: 'Come on Jez.' The Cameron watch will now move to Sydney for the Cats' match against the Swans next week. Originally published as Sheepish superstar Jeremy Cameron late to his own party
News.com.au
9 hours ago
- News.com.au
Sheepish superstar Jeremy Cameron late to his own party
All attention was on one man in Geelong on Friday night, but Jeremy Cameron was late to the party, in more ways than one. The Cats were too strong for the young Bombers, recording a comfortable 15.19 (109) to 10.5 (65) win, with Cameron missing some chances and finishing with 4.5 to move to 79 goals for the season. The Cats superstar came into the clash on 75 goals for the season, miles clear in the Coleman Medal race and with speculation rife he could kick the magical ton this season. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. Cameron himself admitted pre-match there was 'too much focus' on the 100-goal chase, but it clearly wasn't phasing the man from tiny Dartmoor in southwest Victoria. The 32-year-old sheepishly admitted before the opening bounce he was 30 minutes late getting to the ground as he tended to his farm, which is around 20 minutes outside Geelong. He then kept the Fox Footy crew waiting for an interview while he took a few more warm-up shots on goal and the commentators tried desperately to fill the time. Garry Lyon and Jordan Lewis both tried to get Cameron's attention before he finally sauntered over. 'I'll see if I can grab his attention,' Lyon said. 'No, he's having another shot.' When he did arrive, they couldn't resist some gentle ribbing. 'Jezza we've been padding for five minutes,' Lyon said. Lewis then chimed in with: 'Mate the game's about to start.' Once the interview did get underway, the former GWS star was naturally asked about the pursuit of the ton. 'Too much focus I reckon,' he said. 'Everyone asks about it, pretty much everywhere you go, especially the kids and that. 'That's all good fun, but I don't take myself too seriously, sort of try to laugh it off and have fun out there with the boys and that's what I'll be doing again tonight.' When he was asked about his overall approach, Cameron was true to form when he said with a grin: 'It changes for each individual. I got here half an hour late, which was spot on for me. 'That's how I sort of approach it. I did the last check-up (at the farm), just made sure everything's OK. 'Everyone's got their own prep and from there we're pretty steely focused.' During a big build-up to a match that wasn't expected to be overly challenging for Geelong against the lowly Bombers, goalkicking great Jason Dunstall talked about the chase for the century of goals last achieved by Buddy Franklin way back in 2008. 'I think he doesn't want to think about it too much, but it's there, front of mind, make no mistake,' Dunstall said. 'When you're a goalkicker you know exactly how many you have, you know what you're chasing and he's not far away.' Boundary rider Cam Mooney then stunned everyone by picking a big key forward to kick a bag of goals … only it wasn't Cameron. 'I think that man right there is going to be the man tonight,' Mooney said as the camera panned to another big Geelong forward, Shannon Neale. 'He might kick the bag. It's not going to be Jeremy Cameron, I'm sorry guys, it's going to be this man, Shannon Neale. 'Everyone's going to be too interested in stopping Jezza.' Mooney proved he's somewhat of a Nostradamus as Neale duly kicked the first three goals of the game over the opening 12 minutes. 'Shannon Neale came in as the support act, but he has grabbed the early running,' Gerard Whateley said 10 minutes into the game. 'Two goals for Neale.' Two minutes later, Neale had his third and Lyon quipped: 'I don't know if Cam Mooney's got the Tatts Lotto numbers, I tell you what.' 'The count is on,' Whateley added. 'Just not the count we were expecting.' It took until six minutes into the second term for Cameron to finally get his chase moving. He took a contested mark on a tight angle and had no issue stepping back and slotting goal No. 76 for the year. 'Jeremy Cameron, it's such a beautiful kick, and that's the rise the crowd was looking for,' Whateley said. Four minutes later he kicked his second from another contested mark with Mooney saying: 'Listen to the crowd.' Anthony Hudson then stated: 'For a career-best 77 goals, he was late to the game and late to get started, but he's off and running now Jeremy Cameron. 'That is two.' That 77th goal was one clear of his previous best, the 76 he kicked for the Giants back in 2019. The Cats took a 27-point lead into the halftime break and Hudson said: 'Eyes will turn again to Jeremy Cameron in the second half.' Instead, another key forward started to make his mark on the contest. Bombers youngster Liam McMahon managed one goal in each of the first two quarters and then two more in the third as the 23-year-old continued to give long-suffering Essendon fans some hope for the future. 'Jeremy who?' Hudson said when McMahon slotted his fourth. The Bombers closed to within three goals in a surprisingly competitive second half without really threatening to pull off the massive upset. Cameron was able to flex his muscles in front of goal in the final term, kicking two goals in a four-minute period to move to 79. He had another chance in the dying minutes. 'You felt like he had to get to 80 tonight to be a legit chance,' Whateley added. 'Not just a 'let's talk it up chance'.' But he pushed the shot across goal, with Dunstall saying glumly: 'Come on Jez.' The Cameron watch will now move to Sydney for the Cats' match against the Swans next week.
The Australian
10 hours ago
- The Australian
A-League: Zinedine Machach leaves Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory's 2025-26 A-League title hopes have suffered a blow following the shock exit of French star Zinedine Machach. The 29-year-old midfielder had a season remaining on his Victory contract, but has been released on 'compassionate grounds' by A-League heavyweights. It's understood Machach has accepted a more lucrative deal from a club in Morocco. 'I will look back on my time in Melbourne with fond memories,' Machach said. 'It has been a pleasure to represent the Victory and I would like to thank the club and its fans for making me and my family feel welcomed since I joined. 'I am sad to be leaving, but this decision is the right one for my family and I appreciate the support I have received from the club in making this decision.' Zinedine Machach has been released from his of Melbourne Victory contract. Picture:Machach, who joined the Victory in August 2023 from Greek club Ionikos, scored 14 goals in 64 appearances in all competitions for the Melbourne club. He was part of two Victory grand-final losing teams, and also came up short in last year's Australia Cup decider. Victory director of football John Didulica said Machach had been a 'special player and person for us over the past two seasons'. 'He took to the A-League exceptionally well and played an important part in producing many memorable moments for Melbourne Victory," Didulica said. 'While we are terribly disappointed to lose someone that we are so close to, we know that Zinedine's most important roles in life are that of father and husband, so we support his decision entirely to move closer to family for personal reasons. 'As we say farewell to 'Zizou', we have no doubt that with the talent we currently have and the players we are looking to bring in, we can go one better this season.' Machach is the latest player to part ways with the Victory following the off-season departures of Daniel Arzani (Ferencvaros, Hungary), Ryan Teague (Mechelen, Belgium), Kasey Bos (Mainz 05, Germany), Mitch Langerak (retired), free agent Bruno Fornaroli and loan signing Alex Badolato (Newcastle Jets). Marco Monteverde Sports reporter Marco Monteverde is a Brisbane-based sports reporter for NCA Newswire. He worked in a similar role for The Courier-Mail from 2007 to 2020. During a journalism career of more than 25 years, he has also worked for The Queensland Times, The Sunshine Coast Daily, The Fraser Coast Chronicle and The North West Star. He has covered three FIFA World Cups and the 2000 Sydney Olympics, as well as a host of other major sporting events in Australia and around the world. @marcothejourno Marco Monteverde
