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050425
Auckland Share Spoils With Western Sydney
by Jeremy Ruane
Auckland FC and Western Sydney Wanderers battled out a hard-fought 1-1 draw in front of 18,342 fans at GoMedia Mt Smart Stadium on April 5, a result which served both teams well in their respective quests in the Isuzu Ute A-League.
The home team edged ever closer to the Premiership Plate in their maiden season, while the visitors climbed into the top four on the back of this result, one Wests will feel could have seen them heading home with all three points.
While Auckland enjoyed the first opening of the match in the fourth minute, with Guillermo May slipping at the vital moment as he latched onto Marlee Francois' pass while under pressure from Oscar Priestman, it was Western Sydney which emerged as the more dominant attacking side as the half wore on.
Dan Hall blocked a Bozhidar Kraev volley from the edge of the penalty area in the sixth minute after the Bulgarian had led a left flank raid, while Zac Sapsford fizzed a low cross in behind Brandon Borrello two minutes later as he got in behind Hall on the right.
Eight minutes later, the roles were reversed, with Borrello picking out Sapsford with a cross which the striker looked to turn into a penalty by diving under the challenge of Louis Verstraete. Referee Alex King wasn't impressed, but failed to follow up with a yellow card for simulation.
Halfway through the first half, a Francois error gifted possession to Sapsford, who worked it back to Kraev. He then played a one-two with Sapsford before unleashing a fiercely struck drive which was parried to safety at point-blank range by Alex Paulsen - a superb denial.
Wests kept on pressing - they had Auckland all over the shop during this period, and the league leaders were hanging on. In the 24th minute, Gabriel Cleur and Kraev worked a one-two on the right which saw the fullback deliver a cross to Borrello. His flick was blocked by Hall, allowing Auckland to scramble the danger to safety on this occasion.
The dam finally burst in the 29th minute. Cleur picked out Sapsford, who looked to come from an offside position to receive the ball, which he instantly laid off to Borrello. He squared it to Kraev, who fair battered it into the roof of the net to open the scoring, only to be denied the goal by the Video Assistant Referee - Sapsford was indeed offside when Cleur's pass was played to him.
The lengthy stoppage while this review was taking place allowed Auckland to regroup and sort themselves out, and while Wests had a couple more chances in the next ten minutes - Paulsen saved from both Sapsford and Borrello, whose long-range free-kick attempt was not his best work - the locals finally found their feet as an attacking force, and came desperately close to breaking the deadlock in the 42nd minute, albeit against the run of play.
Wests failed to clear a Hiroki Sakai throw-in, and their goalmouth suddenly took on all the hallmarks of a shooting gallery. Verstraete, Max Mata and Logan Rogerson all saw shots blocked before Francis de Vries thundered one narrowly past the upright - a real let-off for the visitors.
Lawrence Thomas hadn't had a single save to make to this point in proceedings, but after denying Francois he gifted Auckland their goal as the game entered first half stoppage time. The goalkeeper directed a clearance straight to Felipe Gallegos, who gleefully rammed the ball into an empty net to score a goal which his outstanding performance fully merited.
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Auckland came desperately close to doubling their advantage with virtually the last kick of the half. Rogerson delivered a cross which Nando Pijnaker headed skywards. Mata eyed up the dropping ball and launched into a bicycle kick from ten yards which Thomas turned over the bar to keep out what would have been a certain contender for "Goal of the Season".
Steve Corica's charges looked much more like their usual selves immediately after half-time, but were pegged back in the 51st minute by Nicolas Milanovic. He cut in off the right before unleashing a shot from the edge of the penalty area which Paulsen should have saved, but could only divert into the net, the run across his line of sight by Borrello clearly impacting upon his focus on the ball - 1-1.
Buoyed by their equaliser, Alen Stajcic's team sought a second goal, with Paulsen grabbing a tame header from Alex Gersbach before substitute Carl Antonsson fired past the post after latching onto Rogerson's sliced clearance.
Auckland were starting to get back into the contest, however, long-range attempts from Jake Brimmer and Pijnaker signalling their intentions. And after Borrello hit the stanchion with a header from Milanovic's scrumptious cross in the 71st minute, the home team came home with a wet sail as they looked to settle the contest via another late winner.
Jesse Randall led the charge in the 75th minute, getting to the by-line before looking to pick out Cameron Howieson with a cross. Cleur headed it away, but only as far as de Vries, whose cross invited Randall to direct a header on target, one which Thomas saved by his left-hand post.
The league leaders kept on asking questions, and three minutes from time should have scored. Tommy Smith spread play wide to the indefatigable Gallegos, who delivered a super cross for Howieson to exploit. Jack Clisby averted the danger, but only as far as May, who, from eight yards, somehow contrived to send the ball sailing into the massed ranks of "The Port", who were letting out cries of anguish given they expected to see the net bulging from this shot.
Back came Western Sydney, Milanovic and Antonsson linking with Kraev, who slipped a pass into the stride of Clisby, racing up from left back into Auckland's penalty area. From eight yards out, he hit a rising rocket which Paulsen managed to tip onto the crossbar - a terrific save to keep the scores level, as a goal now would almost certainly have been a matchwinner.
Auckland went all out to secure same in stoppage time, with Howieson firing a twenty yarder on the turn narrowly past the post before Sakai, on receipt of another cross from Gallegos, saw his fifteen yard drive smothered by Thomas.
That denial ensured the spoils were shared in this encounter, and with four rounds remaining in the competition, the point both teams secured as a result of their respective efforts may well prove vital in their respective pursuits of the Premiership Plate and the play-offs.
Auckland: Paulsen; Sakai, Hall, Pijnaker, de Vries; Rogerson (Smith, 73), Gallegos, Verstraete (Brimmer, 63), Francois (Randall, 55); Mata (Howieson, 63), May
West. Syd.: Thomas; Cleur, Pantazopoulos, Bonetig, Gersbach (Clisby, 64); Milanovic, Brillante (Mata, 76), Priestman, Kraev; Sapsford (Antonsson, 64), Borrello (Hammond, 90)
Referee: Alex King
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