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Advantage Auckland In A-League Semi
by Jeremy Ruane
It's advantage Auckland FC in the Isuzu Ute A-League semi-final, with the Premier's Plate winners enjoying a 1-0 triumph over Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park in the first leg of their semi-final tie on May 17.
In a keenly contested encounter, which was well refereed by Ben Abraham, who allowed the game to flow whenever possible, defences held the upper hand throughout much of the match, with the visitors first to threaten after just ninety seconds - Marlee Francois and Jesse Randall combined on the left, with the latter's cross arcing just beyond Guillermo May.
Melbourne responded in the eighth minute, a concerted attack culminating in Nishan Velupillay and Daniel Arzani combining with Nikos Vargos, whose shot ricocheted to safety. Three further Melbourne shots suffered the same fate ten minutes later, the seemingly impregnable Auckland rearguard giving the hosts plenty to think about with their determined defensive efforts.
Either side of this trio of attempts, Auckland threatened to open the scoring. Francois' tenth minute corner ricocheted off Nando Pijnaker onto the crossbar as the defender was being hauled back by a Melbourne player. Quite how a defensive free-kick resulted only referee Abraham can explain - it was one of very few instances where he didn't get it right in this match.
On the other occasion, Randall took on all-comers in a seventeenth minute counter-attack, with his eventual shot ricocheting towards May. His diving header was well saved by Jack Duncan, one of just two occasions either goalkeeper would be called upon during the first half.
After twenty minutes, Jordi Valadon was just inches away from the top corner with a twenty-yarder following a surging run by Zidane Machach, to which Auckland responded via a Francois through ball which played in Randall through the inside left channel. He was in the act of shooting when Brendan Hamill's timely sliding tackle averted the danger.
The tit-for-tat exchanges continued, Dan Hall's intervention preventing Vargos from firing a shot in the 23rd minute being followed by an Auckland raid on the half-hour, Randall's cross from the right inviting Felipe Gallegos to let fly. He didn't connect cleanly, prompting Francois, who was in the line of fire, to attempt a fancy flick which would have diverted the ball into the net.
In the dying minutes of the first half, Francis de Vries combined with Randall on the left, the latter inviting May to let fly. Hamill blocked his shot, while on the stroke of half-time, Duncan was right behind Hiroki Sakai's eighteen-yard volley after de Vries had roasted two opponents down the left before delivering a cross which was cleared to the edge of the penalty area.
Melbourne started the second half strongly, but it was Auckland who fired the first shot in anger, Francois breaking up an attack and inviting May to send an inch-perfect pass into the stride of Randall, who evaded a challenge before curling a shot inches past the far post from fifteen yards in the 49th minute.
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Two minutes later, an acute-angled chip from Francois was tipped over the bar by Duncan at his near post, the winger having been picked out by Randall's astute cross-field chipped pass. From the resulting de Vries corner, Louis Verstraete headed narrowly over at the near post.
Melbourne had strong penalty appeals waved away on the hour when an Arzani shot struck the moving arm of Pijnaker in the area, while an Arzani free-kick soon after picked out substitute James Rawlins, only for Alex Paulsen to paw the ball off his toes - the first time he'd been called into action in the contest, which indicates just how good a job the white-clad wall of Auckland defenders had done to this point.
Those efforts were rewarded in the 64th minute when the visitors opened the scoring. Gathering a clearance on the left, de Vries evaded a challenge before delivering a tempting cross into the heart of the goalmouth.
Logan Rogerson, darting in from beyond the far post, directed a downward header beyond the diving Duncan to the delight of the sizable travelling army of Auckland's "The Port" fans located near the goal in which the ball now nestled.
Within three minutes, Neyder Moreno went close to increasing Auckland's advantage, wriggling through two challenges before thundering a rising drive narrowly over the crossbar. May then had a goal ruled out by the offside flag as Melbourne struggled to come to terms with the visitors' renewed vigour.
The home team's inevitable response saw Pijnaker blocking a Bruno Fornaroli drive in the 76th minute, but much of what Melbourne produced in a bid to level the scores foundered on Auckland's fabulous defensive effort - there was simply no way through for the home team, much to the dismay of the natives in the stands.
Their last chance to level the scores came five minutes from time, when Ryan Teague linked up with the overlapping Kasey Bos. The fullback's cross zoomed across the goalmouth, too far in front of anyone clad in blue to capitalise upon.
How Melbourne aren't heading across the Tasman for Saturday's semi-final second leg two goals down Lord alone knows, for in stoppage time, Verstraete and May combined to send Moreno galloping through the middle with just Duncan to beat.
The substitute duly directed his shot past the 'keeper, only for the ball to hit the inside of both posts before rebounding into Duncan's grateful arms - so close to 2-0, but a 1-0 advantage is Auckland's reward for a solid display on enemy territory, and leaves them well placed to earn home advantage in the Isuzu Ute A-League Grand Final in a fortnight's time.
Melbourne: Duncan; Inserra, Hamill (Rawlins, 58), Jackson (booked, 85), Bos; Teague, Valadon, Machach (Badoleto, 84); Arzani (Santos, 69), Vargos (Fornaroli, 69), Velupillay (Piscopo, 84)
Auckland: Paulsen; Sakai, Hall, Pijnaker, de Vries (Elliot, 79); Rogerson (Smith, 75), Verstraete, Gallegos (Brimmer, 79), Francois (booked, 60 (Gillion, 63)); Randall (Moreno, 63), May
Referee: Ben Abraham
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