From A-League to Spanish Cup final in 4 months

John Maisano is a long way from McDonald Jones Stadium now.

The last time he was sitting on the sidelines of a game in Australia, Maisano was watching Sydney FC - the team he was assistant coach of - struggle to a 2-0 defeat away to Newcastle.

Now, just four months later, he’s preparing Real Sociedad for a Copa del Rey final against Spanish giants Atletico Madrid that will be played in front of 70,000 fans.

Speaking to football360.com.au in a Bruce Originals production, Maisano seemed to be taking all this rapid change in his stride, but is ultimately still pinching himself as he prepares for what is easily the biggest game of his coaching career.

It will be hard to top the experience he had in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, though.

“The reception that we got before the game was something that I’ve never experienced before,” Maisano explained.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever experience something like that again. And I’m so blessed and grateful that that actually happened to us.

“Thousands of people wanted to welcome us along the route, and waited for us outside the stadium. Basically, with that reception, we won the game before we actually kicked a ball. That’s how we felt.

“So to be involved in something like that will be something that will live in my memory forever.”

Maisano says he’s living out a dream, not just for himself but for his friends and family as well.

But how exactly does a coach from Australia - an assistant coach, no less - get cherry picked out of the A-League and thrown straight into what is, by most measures, the second biggest football league in the world?

Find out via the article here, or you can watch the video on the Football360 YouTube channel below.

Two of the most storied clubs in the history of the Champions League have been eliminated, with Liverpool and Barcelona knocked out of the quarter-finals this morning.

Liverpool were always up against it after losing the first leg to Paris Saint-Germain 2-0, but they did well to reach the first half at Anfield level on the night, and their hopes went up even more when they were awarded a penalty early in the second period.

But that decision was overturned, and Arne Slot’s side never really recovered, with a double from Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele sending PSG through to the semi-finals.

They’ll be joined there by Atletico Madrid, who edged Barcelona in a Champions League classic that had all the flair and fire that you’d expect from the two Spanish giants.

Barca made a dream start to the game, scoring two goals inside the opening half hour to level the tie on aggregate, before Atleti regained the lead a few minutes later.

Any hopes Barca had of nabbing an equaliser seemed to disappear when defender Eric Garcia was sent off, after the referee changed his decision not once, but twice.

Get the full match reports from both games here.

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“After all the hype and hyperbole, after a giddy fortnight preparing for death or glory under Roberto de Zerbi, Tottenham Hotspur managed to do something far worse than anyone thought possible: nothing at all.”

So begins this outstanding column from Alex Keble, a regular contributor to BBC Sport and PremierLeague.com who we’re pleased to have on board with Football360.

Alex has done a brilliant job at not only summing up the increasingly-unbelievable position Spurs now find themselves in, but he’s also taken a realist’s view of what would actually happen if Spurs were to suffer the ignominy of relegation.

From the inevitable fire-sale of high-profile players, to what the next few years could look like on the assumption they make it back into the Premier League, let’s just say the future isn’t looking too bright by Alex’s reading.

His conclusion is that the period after Spurs bounce back from relegation - assuming that happens - would actually be worse than what came before it.

Which, when you consider how much of a nightmare this must feel like for Tottenham right now, is really saying something.

Check out the full piece in the link below.

Dundee United clearly see something in the A-League market.

It’s something our man on the ground in Scotland, Barry Anderson, wrote extensively about a couple of weeks ago.

Now it seems Melbourne Victory defender Josh Rawlins could be next on their shopping list.

The Scottish club have reportedly opened talks with Victory over a deal for the 21-year-old, whose contract is due to expire at the end of the season. There is talk of a “six-figure fee”, which would be a tidy piece of business for Victory given Rawlins only joined the club from FC Utrecht last year.

Rawlins has made 15 appearances for Victory this season and can play both at right-back and centre-back, making him an attractive option for a Dundee side that already has plenty of Australians on the books.

Zac Sapsford, Ryan Strain and Ashley Maynard-Brewer are already there, while Lachie Rose and Jesse Randall are also on the way.

Read the full story here.

The Emerging Matildas Championship wraps up today, but yesterday featured what might have been the game of the tournament, with a penalty shootout that featured the daughter of Socceroos legend and current Macarthur head coach Mile Sterjovski.

Lilly Sterjovski joked that “I’m better” than her dad, who was a keen observer during the shootout, in which Lilly converted her penalty.

Her side ultimate went down but Mile still has high hopes for his daughter.

“I think she’s always had ambitions to play at the highest level but us as parents we just want to guide them and see them happy and whatever makes them happy makes us happy,” Sterjovski said.

“Obviously, football in the female space has really taken off in recent years. There’s a far better pathway now for Lilly than there might have been in previous generations.”

That pathway might one day lead to the senior national side, and speaking of the Matildas, don’t forget they are in action late tonight when they take on Kenya in a friendly in Nairobi. The broadcast details are a little further down in this newsletter.