Four young stars in the Melbourne Victory Academy helped guide the CommBank Joeys to qualification for the U17 AFC Asian Cup 2026.
Receiving call-ups to represent the Joeys in their pursuit of Asian Cup qualification, Victory’s Winston Ashburner, Oliver Dimovski, William Kengni and Malik Olukhale all had the opportunity to don the famous Green and Gold in Jordan.
Left-back Kengni got the nod to start in the Joeys’ opening fixture against the hosts, playing his part in an important 1-0 win.
The Joeys’ second game against Bhutan saw defenders Ashburner and Dimovski start, alongside skilful winger Olukhale.
Kept scoreless in the first half, it was Olukhale who opened the scoring in the 47th minute from a corner delivery. This proud moment for the youngster follows his progression through every age group for the Club, and most recently featured regularly in the A-League Men’s team during their pre-season.
After defeating Bhutan 3-0, defensive trio Ashburner, Dimovski and Kengni all started and kept a clean sheet in a comprehensive 6-0 defeat of the Philippines.
While all three were welcomed to the Club over the off-season, Dimovski and Kengni returned to the Victory Academy after a season-long spell with Western United, with both joining the Academy at the same time as Olukhale.
The trio would all keep their places in the U17s’ final match against the second-placed Iraq, confirming the team’s attendance in the AFC Asian Cup next year with a 3-3 draw.
Melbourne Victory Director of Football, John Didulica, celebrated the achievement of the Victory Academy quartet on the international stage.
“We are very proud of the contribution that our Victory players have made to another great Australian achievement at junior international level.
The ongoing efforts of the players, the coaches, the support they get from their families and everybody working across Victory and other Academies is setting Australia up for ongoing success.”
