Auckland City v. Moghreb Tetouan, 10/12/14

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"The Kiwi Club That Does" Does It Again!

by Jeremy Ruane

Auckland City defied the odds and stunned the natives at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, Morocco, on 10 December by prevailing 4-3 on penalties over Moroccan champions Moghreb Tetouan to advance to the quarter-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup Finals.

It is the second time in the competition's eleven year history that the champions of Oceania have seen off professional opponents in this pre-Finals play-off fixture, in doing so guaranteeing City a minimum $US 1m payday - no small beer for the lone amateur contenders at this prestigious FIFA event.

They deserved their reward after coach Ramon Tribulietx's tactical masterclass was carried out to the letter by captain Ivan Vicelich and his Auckland City team-mates, who were rock-solid throughout two scoreless hours despite the barracking of the partisan 35,247-strong crowd in their eagerness to see Moghreb advance to the last six.

City contrived the first of very few scoring opportunities in this clash, in the eighth minute. Angel Berlanga - he had a terrific game at right back - threw the ball in to Ryan de Vries, who held up play well before picking out a neat pass to Tim Payne.

The midfielder surged forward before letting rip from twenty-five yards with a shot which Moghreb goalkeeper Mohamed El Yousfi smothered solidly to his left.

It speaks volumes for how solidly and confidently City performed that the Moroccans were restricted to just one chance in each half during the ninety minutes. Marko Dordevic was colossal in defence, with John Irving not far behind him, while captain Vicelich's leadership of his troops earned him Man of the Match honours afterwards.

The one occasion Dordevic was beaten in the first half came in the 25th minute, when Zouheir Naim and Abdeladim Khadrouf combined in midfield, the latter slipping an angled pass through for Mouhsinne Iajour to break through the defender's tackle, only to see his shot cannon to safety off the advancing figure of Tamati Williams, the lone denial he was called upon to make prior to the penalty shoot-out.

Had Emiliano Tade not spurned the sort of chance he usually converts with his eyes closed, the game may not have even needed extra time, let alone spot-kicks, to settle it.

Ten minutes before half-time, Payne and de Vries combined with Berlanga, whose pass inside found the South African striker surging through the inside-right channel. De Vries drew the defence before slipping the ball into the stride of Tade, who had just El Yousfi to beat.

Given his strike rate, it was amazing to see the Argentine fail to even hit the target, his fifteen yard drive cannoning off the right-hand stanchion behind the goal, much to the relief of the vocal locals.

El Yousfi was called upon again two minutes later, punching a Payne free-kick to safety as Dordevic looked to head home the opening goal of a game which was graced by even fewer opportunities to break the deadlock in the second spell.

Indeed, it wasn't until fifteen minutes from time that the first of them materialised. Payne's corner to the far post found El Yousfi flapping in vain, but Fabrizio Tavano's header cannoned off the legs of the 'keeper, allowing Moghreb to scramble the ball to safety.

Two minutes later, City squandered another fine opening. Serigne Fall - imperious in defence for the local side - directed a clearance to Vicelich, whose incisive through ball was touched on by Payne to Tavano.

He laid the ball back to Payne, whose shot was blocked, but the midfielder reacted instinctively to direct the rebound into the stride of de Vries. Into the penalty area he pounded, only to rattle the side-netting with Fall fast closing in on him.

In stoppage time, City's hearts were in their mouths as Moghreb threatened a dramatic - and most certainly undeserved - winner. Mohamed Abarhoun played the ball forward to Khadrouf, whose lofted pass invited half-time substitute Zaid Krouch to

dart in behind the defence.

While his surname is similar to that of the lanky former Liverpool striker, Krouch's finishing doesn't even begin to compare if this effort is anything to go by, the nippy striker sending the ball into orbit, much to the despair of the crowd, whose urgency increased throughout the additional thirty minutes of play.

City remained steadfast, however, Irving intervening to prevent Krouch from capitalising on another Abarhoun pass in the 93rd minute, while Tavano headed away Ahmed Jahouh's free-kick nine minutes later, after Berlanga had become the only player on the pitch to be shown the yellow card by Guatemalan referee Walter Lopez.

The official was unmoved when Moghreb claimed a penalty in the 103rd minute, Berlanga's timely challenge on Krouch seeing the defender avert the danger after the substitute had linked up with Khadrouf once more.

With nine minutes remaining, City had their lone chance to win the match in extra time. Vicelich played the ball wide to de Vries, who took on the defence before firing a lovely cross to the far post as Khadrouf took him out. Berlanga arrived on cue, and directed a diving header narrowly past the upright.

A desperate effort by Jahouh in the dying seconds of the match summed up Moghreb's all-round performance, and matched Krouch's effort in second half stoppage time on the height front, the ball soaring over the bar to leave City quietly contented at having earned their second successive scoreless draw, their first having been recorded against the national team of Uzbekistan en route to the Finals.

So to the lottery of penalties, and Auckland immediately gained the upper hand when Williams saved Jahouh's effort seconds after Payne had converted City's opening shot.

Irving, Krouch, Darren White and Fall exchanged goals before Mario Bilen's poorly struck effort was confidently turned to safety by El Yousfi.

Naim wasted little time in levelling the scores, although Williams got a hand to his effort, meaning all the pressure was on new City signing Sanni Issa as he stepped forward for Auckland's fifth penalty.

Pressure? What pressure? A delicious side-footed finish into the top left-hand corner made light of the situation as the Moroccan fans again failed to put off City's spot-kick takers, despite doing their level best to blind each of them with their green laser lights.

Williams, too, was subjected to the sort of antics for which offending clubs are usually heavily fined, but he ignored the beams and concentrated on the task at hand once more.

This time, Mehdi Khallati was the player in the spotlight, and he had to score to take the shoot-out to sudden-death. But while he sent Williams the wrong way, the post came to the 'keeper's aid, Khallati's effort cannoning off the upright to safety to send City into the history books once again.

Tribulietx's titans now take on Algerian champions ES Setif from 5am on Sunday, NZ time, at the same venue, after which they will head to Marrakech for either a fifth place play-off against the losers of the other quarter-final, between Mexico's Cruz Azul and Australia's Western Sydney Wanderers, or a semi-final against Argentina's San Lorenzo. Both matches take place next Thursday, NZ time.

After this impressive tactics-based triumph over the host nation's finest, whoever the OFC President's Cup winners play will be wary of the Kiwi club that does.

Moghreb: El Yousfi; Abarhoun, Fall, Khallati; El Hardoumi, Khadrouf, Jahouh, Faouzi (Ouald El Haj, 95); El Maimouni (Grada, 98), Iajour (Krouch, 46), Naim

Auckland: Williams; Berlanga (booked, 101), Irving, Dordevic, Iwata; Payne, Vicelich, Bilen; de Vries, Tavano (Issa, 107), Tade (White, 68)

Referee: Walter Lopez (Guatemala)

Auckland City