2015 OFC Champions League Grand Final

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Auckland Edge Wellington To Take Fifth Straight Title

by Jeremy Ruane

Auckland City claimed an unprecedented fifth consecutive OFC Champions League title at Suva's ANZ Stadium on April 26, edging Team Wellington 4-3 on penalties after an at times rugged encounter had concluded in a 1-1 draw.

The reigning champions enjoyed the better of the early exchanges, which were punctuated by niggly fouls aplenty as Wellington looked to impose their more direct and far more physical approach on proceedings at the expense of Auckland's more cultured and technically-oriented playing style.

This contrast was an ongoing feature of the contest, and occasionally prompted the clans to gather as Tahitian referee Norbert Hauata failed to get a grip on proceedings - a stronger official would have made quite a difference to this match, but the lack of one meant the cynical bordering on thuggish nature of the less skilled and gifted players on show - and both teams boast them - was always going to be to the fore.

It came as no surprise, therefore, that the first chances in the game fell Auckland's way, a result of set-pieces arising from Wellington's indiscipline. Darren White's eleventh minute free-kick went beyond the far post to Joao Moreira, who headed the ball down for Mario Bilen.

He spurned a good shooting chance, but another Auckland free-kick was forthcoming less than sixty seconds later. White delivered it again, and as Wellington goalkeeper Michael O'Keeffe collided with defender Aaron Scott - he required heavy bandaging to the resulting head wound, Alex Feneridis impeded Moreira's attempt to compete for the ball.

Referee Hauata spotted and instantly pointed to the penalty spot, much to the disgust of the Wellingtonians, who let him know it. The official ignored their pleas, and awarded the goal as Moreira sent O'Keeffe the wrong way from the spot - 1-0 City, after fourteen minutes.

Wellington promptly brought their most skilful player into play, with Luis Corrales making in-roads down the right straight from the kick-off. Angel Berlanga cut out his cross, however, prompting a spell of largely uninspiring play punctuated by free-kicks, the bulk of them awarded to Auckland as Wellington reverted to type in response to their opponents' passing game.

Late in the first half, City engineered a handful of openings which threatened a second goal. O'Keeffe was right behind an Ivan Carril free-kick, awarded following a gathering of the clans in the 38th minute in response to Feneridis again taking Moreira out of play off the ball. The offender was rightly booked.

Soon after, shots from David Browne and Carril were blocked after a slick one-two between Takuya Iwata and Bilen had seen the fullback's cross headed over by Browne just as Ian Hogg clattered into him.

Auckland continued to hold the upper hand in the second spell. Browne fired narrowly wide from six yards after being picked out by White's teasing cross to the far post in the 47th minute, while sixty seconds later the youngster saw his twenty-yarder deflect to safety off Bill Robertson, after Ryan de Vries and Ivan Vicelich - later named Golden Ball winner as Player of the Tournament - combined on the right.

The resulting corner saw White's delivery pick out the head of Marco Dordevic, whose ten yard header crashed against the crossbar. O'Keeffe gathered the rebound greedily.

In the 51st minute, City were denied a clear penalty after de Vries slipped the ball into Browne's stride as he made his way into the area, with Scott on his heels. The fullback lunged at the striker and brought him down, Scott's body language - he remained prone - betraying the fact he knew it was a penalty.

Referee Hauata wasn't so wise to the fact, however - a real let-off for Wellington, who should have found themselves two goals down two minutes later. Another one-two on the left, this time between Iwata and de Vries, allowed the fullback to pick out Moreira with a cross to the far post.

The striker headed down but wide of the target, prompting a sense of belief in the Wellington ranks that perhaps all was not yet lost. Slowly but surely, they managed to drag themselves back into the contest, without truly threatening Tamati Williams' goal.

In the 79th minute, however, they did, to telling effect. Feneridis' free-kick wasn't cleared, the ball falling invitingly for Hogg to unleash a fulminating fifteen yard volley which scorched the gloves of Williams en route to the top far corner of the net -

1-1, the first goal conceded by City in the tournament.

Wellington came desperately close to winning it in stoppage time. White's attempted clearance ricocheted off Corrales into the stride of substitute Sean Lovemore, who slipped in Mike Gwyther.

His rising drive was brilliantly tipped over the bar by Williams, who was later named winner of the Golden Gloves award as the best goalkeeper at the tournament - with saves of this calibre, it was little wonder.

City stormed downfield in response to this, with Berlanga and substitute Gustavo Souto combining to present de Vries with a chance. He wriggled his way to the byline, where his progress was halted by a figure in red - O'Keeffe was unquestionably Wellington's best player in a final which was now destined for extra time.

Both goalkeepers made saves in the first half of same. Williams was right behind a Robertson header, following a Cole Peverley free-kick, while a slick one-two between de Vries and White resulted in substitute Adam McGeorge unleashing a rising drive in the 101st minute, which O'Keeffe plucked nonchalantly from the sky.

Into the second half of extra time, Hogg broke up an Auckland raid and promptly thumped the ball downfield for Lovemore to chase. Williams only just beat him to it as the ball entered the penalty area.

Wellington's substitute - Lovemore was an early tactical replacement for Tom Jackson - then got himself involved in an unsavoury incident with Bilen, whose shirt-pulling antics rightly earned him a booking.

However, it was only administered after he'd received treatment as a result of being felled by Lovemore's retaliatory action, a 108th minute blow which went unpunished by referee Hauata. Had it been, Lovemore would have been heading for the dressing rooms - he'd already been booked.

Wellington's dressing room would soon be prematurely occupied, however. City substitute Daewook Kim picked out de Vries on the right, and he made his way into the penalty area before letting fly. Hogg instinctively blocked the shot with his arm, prompting referee Hauata to point to the spot once more.

The Wellington players were incensed, no-one more so than Chris Bale, who, quite frankly, lost the plot. The expletive-laden verbal tirade he directed at both referee Hauata and his assistant, Tevita Makasini, was totally uncalled for, and got to the stage where he had to be dragged away by team-mates for his own good.

After the sideshow, White stepped up to take the penalty, only to see O'Keeffe dive to his right to save it, to the undisguised delight of Wellington's bench, Adam Cowan in particular. His antics attracted the attention of fourth official Robinson Bangu, after which confusion reigned - had Cowan been sent from the bench?

Neither side could break the deadlock in the six minutes which remained, meaning the OFC Champions League, and a place at the FIFA Club World Cup Finals in Japan, would be decided by a penalty shoot-out.

Feneridis and Dordevic both scored before Corrales and Berlanga saw their efforts respectively saved by Williams and O'Keeffe. Peverley, McGeorge, Gulley and Browne then ensured the teams would stay neck and neck down to the final penalties in the five compulsory efforts.

With the score locked at 3-3, up stepped Hogg, one of a handful of former City players in Wellington's line-up which significantly contributed to the edge in evidence throughout proceedings.

Over the bar the ball ballooned, meaning another minimum $US 500,000 payday for NZ Football rested on the penalty-taking prowess of Kim. He made no mistake, firing Auckland City into December's FIFA Club World Cup Finals as the champions of Oceania for the fifth successive year and the seventh time all told, unsavoury post-match shenanigans notwithstanding.

Auckland: Williams; White, Berlanga, Dordevic, Iwata; Carril (booked, 41) (Kim, 89), Vicelich (McGeorge, 98), Bilen (booked, 108); de Vries, Moreira (Souto, 85), Browne (booked, 78)

Wellington: O'Keeffe; Scott (Myers, 78), Robertson, Bale (sent off, 112), Hogg (booked, 73); Peverley, Gulley, Feneridis (booked, 38); Gwyther (booked, 31), Jackson (Lovemore, 33 (booked, 98)), Corrales

Referee: Norbert Hauata (Tahiti)

Auckland City