Elvis Kamsoba's second-half strike secured Sydney FC a 1–0 win over Brisbane Roar and a place in the FFA Cup semi-finals.
Kamsoba scored his fourth goal of the season in the 63rd minute at the Netstrata Jubilee Stadium on Wednesday as the Sky Blues defeated a weak Roar to set up a last-four encounter with the Central Coast.
With both the teams playing their first match of 2022 due to the postponement of COVID, chances of heavy rain in the first half were high.
Midfielder Max Burgess had the best chance of the opening 45 as he forced Roar goalkeeper McLynn Freak to make a save just before the break.
Anthony Casares forced Fricke to make another quick save in the second half in 10 minutes, before defender James Donacchi went just behind the post from the resulting corner.
Minutes later Kamsoba broke the deadlock when he met Ryan Grant's cross at the back post with a well-deserved sidefoot finish for a job well done.
The Roar, with several players missing either through COVID isolation or the after-effects of the virus, with Donacchi sent off for a second bookable offense when he replaced Cyrus Demi. did.
The visitors pushed for the equalizer and came closest in the 91st minute but Paulo Retre's goal-line clearance from a demi shot was as close as they came to force the match into extra time.
Melbourne Victory and Wellington Phoenix are already set to meet in the second semi-final.
It is the fourth time that 2017 winners Sydney have reached the FFA Cup semi-finals, while Brisbane was eliminated after reaching the quarter-final stage for the first time in the club's history.
Sydney and Brisbane will face each other again in the A-League men's competition at the same venue on Saturday.