Auckland City v. Cruz Azul, 20/12/14

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The Kiwi Club That Does Does It Big-Time!

by Jeremy Ruane

Auckland City, against all the odds, clinched third place at the FIFA Club World Cup Finals in Morocco on 21 December, edging CONCACAF champions Cruz Azul 4-2 on penalties after the teams had played out a 1-1 draw in Le Grand Stade de Marrakech.

It's a stunning, unprecedented achievement for the Oceania champions, which was enhanced still further during the post-final awards ceremony when captain Ivan Vicelich was named winner of the Bronze Ball award, the tournament's third best-performed player as determined by FIFA's Technical Study Group at the event.

It doesn't get much better than this where New Zealand footballers and the game as a whole in this country is concerned. This is the stuff of wildest dreams come true.

And Auckland deserve all the accolades being afforded them for their efforts, which, in their final game of the tournament, could have seen them take the lead just thirty seconds into the contest.

Francisco Rodriguez's stumble presented Fabrizio Tavano with the chance to open the scoring, but goalkeeper Jose Corona got down smartly to save his twenty-five yard drive.

It was a warning shot across the bows for the Mexicans, who responded with a tenth minute opening engineered by striker Marco Fabian. He rewarded the run of fullback Alejandro Vela inside him with a pass which invited a first-time cross to the far post.

The fullback duly delivered, and Joao Rojas arrived on cue to meet it. Unfortunately for Cruz Azul's key player, Takuya Iwata had tracked his run and was on hand to thwart his opponent's bid to turn the ball home.

Auckland enjoyed the better of possession in the early stages, but it was their opponents who were next to threaten a goal, with a neat move around the edge of the penalty area in the twentieth minute.

Mauro Formica played the ball inside to Ismael Valadez, whose lay-off invited Fabian to let fly. Jacob Spoonley, one of three changes made to his starting line-up by City coach Ramon Tribulietx for this match, plunged to his left to soundly smother the shot.

John Irving has had a superb tournament for the "Navy Blues", and in the 23rd minute unleashed a splendid cross-field ball which allowed Iwata to work a one-two with Emiliano Tade before firing in a cross under the challenge of Rodriguez.

Corona proved equal to this, and raced swiftly off his line to thwart Tade moments later, as Spoonley released the striker with a ball over the top - clearly a tactic which Tribulietx was keen to see his charges employ during this match.

Irving's next contribution came in the 26th minute, a superb double tackle which thwarted both Rojas and Formica in quick succession as they sought a way through City's rearguard, in which Mario Bilen had been deployed in central defence after first-choice stopper Marko Dordevic had failed a pre-match fitness test.

Back came Auckland, Iwata's ball over the top just shy of the half-hour mark inviting Tade to outpace fullback Gerardo Flores and power into the penalty area. The striker found himself with just Corona to beat, but fluffed his lines, shooting straight at the 'keeper when placement may have brought greater reward.

The Mexican side were getting increasingly frustrated at their inability to overcome opponents of far more modest footballing heritage, a fact reflected in a few of their over-zealous challenges after the half-hour mark.

A few words of diplomacy from Portuguese referee Pedro Proenca soon channelled their aggression in the right manner, however, but not before Tade had gone close with a twenty-yarder in the 41st minute, after an Iwata free-kick had been cleared to the edge of the penalty area.

Cruz Azul's response was led by a Fabian free-kick which fizzed over the far angle some twenty yards away, and an opening the striker worked with Valadez, who got in behind Bilen but couldn't direct his lobbed effort on target.

With the last kick of the half, City took the lead. Tade's raking forty yard cross-field ball found Ryan de Vries in acres of space on the right. He promptly set sail for goal before unleashing a fifteen yard firecracker under pressure across the advancing figure of Corona and into the net by the far post.

It was a fine strike, and a lead City merited. And, as it turned out, it was a vital lifeline, for after the interval, the Mexicans came out all guns blazing, led by midfield general and half-time substitute Christian Gimenez.

Three times in the first eight minutes of the half, the offside flag came to Auckland's rescue as their Mexican rivals looked to exploit their tiring opponents' demanding schedule, both mentally and physically, over the past fortnight.

The last flagged raid, in the 53rd minute, prevented Formica from heading home the equaliser, but four minutes later he played an instrumental role in the goal which drew Cruz Azul level.

He linked up with Vela, whose first cross was blocked by Irving. The fullback's second delivery found Rojas on the far post, where his header was blocked by Iwata. The midfielder was first to react to the rebound, however, and slammed the ball home from close-range to the delight of the Mexican club's fans.

Soon after, Cruz Azul threw everything but the kitchen sink at Auckland as they looked to take the lead. But City were resilient beyond words, stand-in fullback Darren White blocking Fabian's flying scissors kick in the 62nd minute before thwarting Rojas in like fashion three minutes later, after Spoonley had produced a stunning save to deny Fabian at point-blank range.

City's 'keeper was right behind Gimenez's 73rd minute header as Cruz Azul continued to press for what would almost certainly be the winner. But every once in a while, the Mexicans found themselves on the back foot as Auckland summed up reserves of energy from heaven knows where to mount the odd counter-attack.

Such as in the 74th minute, when substitute Sanni Issa fed de Vries, who held up the ball well before directing it into the stride of Tim Payne. His controlled twenty-yarder was turned round the post by Corona, the last save he would make in the tournament.

For the remaining key moments in the ninety minutes were staged in front of Auckland's goal. Irving cleared a Rojas shot off the line seven minutes from time, although referee Proenca had called a halt to play after Formica had fouled Spoonley three seconds earlier

Two minutes later, the same players squared off again, this time in legitimate fashion. And it was the Kiwi who prevailed, Spoonley superbly keeping out the unmarked striker's eight yard header, after Gerardo Torrado and Flores had combined on the right.

Irving then blocked a Rojas drive following the resulting corner. There were to be no further chances of note for Cruz Azul to break the deadlock, however, meaning that upon the final whistle, City had once again staved off the challenge of more illustrious opponents over the course of a ninety minute contest.

But it wasn't over yet, for the 1-1 scoreline meant the game would go straight to penalties to determine which club would take home the bronze medals and a total of $US 2.5m in prize money.

City won the toss, and opted to shoot first, Payne promptly potting his penalty with aplomb. As did Fabian seconds later - 1-1, a scoreline which remained unchanged after Irving stepped forward, the defender's effort cannoning back off the crossbar.

Advantage Cruz Azul? Not so, as Formica's awful penalty cleared the crossbar by some distance. Instead, it was advantage City again, with spot-kicks from White and late substitute James Pritchett sandwiching Rodriguez's successful effort.

Could Valadez make it 3-3? Spoonley dived to his right and saved his attempt, meaning that if Issa converted, City would be in dreamland. As cool as you like, the substitute chipped the ball into the top corner of the net to ignite scenes of unbridled joy throughout the entourage of the Kiwi club that does.

On this occasion, they did it big-time! Auckland City FC, third in the world. Whoever would have thought it?

Cruz Azul: Corona; Flores, Rodriguez, Dominguez, Vela; Rojas, Torrado, Baez (Gimenez, 46), Valadez; Formica, Fabian (Pavone, 85)

Auckland: Spoonley; White, Irving, Bilen, Iwata; Payne, Vicelich (Lindsay, 80), Burfoot (Issa, 57); de Vries, Tavano, Tade (Pritchett, 90)

Referee: Pedro Proenca (Portugal)

Auckland City