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New Year Starts With Scoreless Stalemate
by Jeremy Ruane
Isuzu Ute A-League leaders Auckland FC and third-placed Melbourne Victory cancelled each other out in front of 14,997 fans at GoMedia Mt. Smart Stadium on the first day of 2025, a goalless draw the outcome of ninety minutes of earnest endeavour which all too often lacked an end product.
The home team began brightly, Nando Pijnaker volleying over in the third minute before Adama Traore was forced to scramble the ball to safety after Liam Gillion had got in behind Jason Geria down the left and whipped in a cross which attracted the attentions of both Guillermo May and Neyder Moreno.
It was a corner from the latter which produced one of the game's few genuine goalscoring opportunities, a far post delivery which picked out Francis de Vries, whose powerful header prompted a fantastic reflex save from Jack Duncan, the 'keeper diverting the ball over the bar.
The corner which followed, and numerous others they earned throughout proceedings, was wasted by Auckland, who struggled to come to terms with the blustery sou'wester coming straight in off the Manukau Harbour.
After weathering Auckland's start, Melbourne came back into the contest and enjoyed the better of possession throughout the first spell, without troubling Alex Paulsen unduly. Ryan Teague saw a twenty-yarder deflect narrowly past the post in the thirteenth minute before his free-kick was headed across goal by Geria two minutes later.
A twenty-yarder from Moreno drew a solid save low to his right by Duncan in the eighteenth minute, as a short goal-kick routine by the visitors got as far as thirty yards from their goal before possession was conceded cheaply.
Unperturbed, Melbourne came again a minute later, Kasey Bos charging past three down the left before inviting Reno Piscopo to let fly. Louis Verstraete diverted his shot onto the roof of Paulsen's net, with the home team dealing with the resulting corner without too much fuss.
In the 25th and 32nd minutes, Geria worked one-twos with Daniel Arzani down the right. On the first occasion, the fullback - on the occasion of his 200th A-League appearance - curled a fifteen-yarder past the far post, then fired a tame shot at Paulsen, this attack initially coming about courtesy Bruno Fornaroli's surging run through the middle.
In between these efforts, Paulsen had dashed out to save at the feet of Fornaroli, while seven minutes before the interval Auckland mustered their first attack of note in twenty minutes, with Roderick Miranda forced to head a de Vries cross to safety with May looking to capitalise on the opening.
Playing into the wind in the second spell, and the end where their formidable support crew, "The Port", are based, Auckland tore into Melbourne with a vengeance straight from the whistle.
Jake Brimmer sent Moreno flying through the inside left channel to the by-line, from where he sent a cross flying across the face of goal. He clearly didn't see May, who had taken up a great position at the near post in anticipation of his team-mate pulling the ball back - a chance lost.
Sixty seconds later, Auckland had the ball in the net, but it was only when May was celebrating that
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the flag was raised to indicate he was offside. The reality was, he was clearly offside when the ball was played - there wasn't even an ounce of doubt about it. So why wasn't it flagged at the time?
Little wonder match officials cop abuse when they are under instructions not to make a call immediately, then make it after the attack has run its course and, in this case, a team and their fans are celebrating a goal. If common sense was exercised, and the decision was made at the time, it would save a great deal of angst for many.
Auckland came again a minute later, de Vries picking out Moreno, whose deft header invited May to take on two before inviting Verstraete to let fly. He directed his twenty-yarder at Duncan, who cut out a de Vries cross intended for May in the 51st minute after the fullback had combined with Gillion on the left.
In between these efforts, Brimmer should have scored against his old club. Teague gifted the ball to May in the penalty area and the striker set up his team-mate, who, for reasons only he will know, felt an extra touch was required. By the time it was taken, Teague was on top of him, and made up for his blunder by clearing the danger, before Brimmer could pull the trigger.
As they had done in the first spell, Melbourne weathered Auckland's early storm then took charge of proceedings. Jordi Valadon lashed a shot past the post before Piscopo and Fornaroli - a clever lay-off - combined to get Arzani in along the by-line, only for the playmaker to run out of real estate.
Melbourne kept on coming, and in the 68th minute, Pijnaker was forced to hook the ball over his own crossbar after Fornaroli, Valadon and substitutes Clarismario Santos and Nishan Velupillay had combined to good effect.
Back came Auckland, Felipe Gallegos and Verstraete seeing shots blocked by Geria and Santos respectively fifteen minutes from time. May then sent a shot on the run swerving narrowly past the far post as the game entered the final ten minutes, to which Melbourne responded via Geria, whose cross invited Santos to unleash an acrobatic volley. "Not on my watch, sunshine!" said Tommy Smith, as he timed his intervention to perfection.
With two minutes to play, Verstraete set off on a powerful run through the middle of Melbourne's half before playing in Max Mata. Duncan rushed out to block at the substitute's feet, Brendan Hamill completing the clearance.
Back came the visitors, whose substitutes could have won them the game in stoppage time. Only Hiroki Sakai's superbly timed tackle prevented Jing Reec from racing through on goal, while Nikos Vergos got to the by-line before inviting Velupillay to unleash a curling effort which arced narrowly past the diving figure of Paulsen and his left-hand post, an outcome which ensured this hard-fought top-of-the-table tussle would end as it began, scoreless.
Auckland: Paulsen; Sakai, Smith, Pijnaker, de Vries; Verstraete (booked, 66), Brimmer (Mata, 83), Gallegos; Moreno (Rogerson, 77), May, Gillion (Randall, 77)
Melbourne: Duncan; Geria, Hamill, Miranda, Traore (Rawlins, 85); Valadon, Arzani (Reec, 85), Teague; Piscopo (Velupillay, 63), Fornaroli (Vergos, 74), Bos (Santos, 63)
Referee: Alireza Faghani
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