Auckland City v. Sanfrecce Hiroshima, 6/12/12

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Auckland Hopes Dashed By Stunning 25-Yarder

by Jeremy Ruane

Auckland City's hopes of progressing beyond the first hurdle of the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup Finals were dashed half-way through the second half of their clash with Sanfrecce Hiroshima at Yokohama Stadium, a stunning twenty-five yarder from Toshihiro Aoyama securing a 1-0 victory for the J-League champions on December 6.

The thunderous strike broke the resistance of the gallant City squad, whose impressive defensive efforts earned the respect of the 25,174 present, as well as those watching around the world in a match which saw professional outfit Hiroshima hit the woodwork three times.

Neither side captured the imagination in a cagey opening period, during which City captain Ivan Vicelich was in commanding form as the newly-crowned local champions tested their O-League rivals' rearguard.

They threatened just once, Yojiro Takahagi's back-heel being touched on by Koji Morisaki to Hisato Sato in the eighth minute, Hiroshima's captain drawing a strong parried save from Tamati Williams in Auckland's goal.

City's 'keeper was next called upon in the nineteenth minute, after Takahagi's driven corner had hit the angle of near post and crossbar. The ball ricocheted out to Koji Morisaki, whose fiercely struck drive was parried to safety by the Auckland custodian.

Auckland fired their first shot in anger six minutes later, Chris Bale stinging the gloves of Shusaku Nishikawa with a twenty-five yarder after Andrew Milne and Alex Feneridis contributed to an attack led by Daniel Koprivcic, making his record-breaking fifth appearance at a FIFA Club World Cup Finals in this match.

Hiroshima came desperately close to testing the goal-line technology being used for the first time in this match in the 29th minute. Koji Morisaki made in-roads down the left before seeing his cross deflect off Milne into the goalmouth.

Takuya Iwata's desperate attempt to clear saw him direct the ball straight at team-mate Williams, who could only parry the ball back to the covering fullback, who got it right at the second attempt, albeit at the expense of a corner.

Takahagi's delivery wasn't cleared, which allowed Sato to stab the ball goal wards, but without the power to give Williams too much cause for concern. Instead, City's 'keeper sparked a fine Koprivcic-led counter-attack which saw the striker's cross on the run for Manel Exposito being headed clear at the death by Kazuhiko Chiba.

Auckland earned a free-kick within seconds, but as he was with two other set-piece opportunities either side of this twenty-five yard opening, Feneridis was wasteful with his delivery, the ball ricocheting to safety off the defensive wall.

The match returned to its initial cageyness in the minutes which followed, but two minutes before the interval, Mihael Mikic - a constant threat throughout the opening forty-five minutes down Hiroshima's right - angled a ball through which Sato was only inches away from meeting at full stretch. Williams gathered comfortably to ensure the opening half would end as it began, without a goal having been scored.

Hiroshima came out for the second half all guns blazing, and it took all the nous of Vicelich and Berlanga, together with some fine saves from Williams, to keep them in the contest beyond the hour mark.

Fortune also played its part, with Takahagi's vicious angled grass-cutting twenty-five yarder ripping past the diving figure of Williams in the 51st minute, only to cannon back into play off the far post.

Seconds later, Williams was at full stretch to tip a Shimizu header round the post after the flank player had been picked out by the well-performed Mikic, who, together with the goalscorer, was Hiroshima's best on show.

Only a superbly timed tackle by Berlanga in the 57th minute prevented Sato from pulling the trigger inside the penalty area, but within seconds the striker had another opportunity, courtesy the industry of Koji Morisaki and Mikic. Williams greedily grabbed Sato's header under the crossbar.

City's 'keeper produced a stunning double-save in the 65th minute to keep the underdogs on level terms. A splendid one-two between Sato and Koji Morisaki saw the former play in Mikic down the right, from where he crossed into the danger zone.

Freshly introduced substitute Satoru Yamagishi was the beneficiary of his cross, but could only direct his close-range header straight at Williams, who parried the ball across his goal, straight into the path of the incoming figure of Kazuyuki Morisaki.

With the goal at his mercy, the midfielder and 31-year-old twin brother of team-mate Koji seemed certain to score, but Williams somehow scrambled across his goal to block his effort at point-blank range and keep City in contention.

For mere seconds, as it turned out, for the ball was worked back by Hiroshima to Aoyama, the man who made things tick at the heart of their midfield. From twenty-five yards out, he unleashed a fulminating drive which fizzed over the head of Williams and careered into the top far corner of the net - a terrific strike, but one which understandably frustrated Auckland, who had resisted so well to this point.

And they continued to do so again after the goal, while also enjoying an increasing share of the possession which Hiroshima had denied them since the half-time interval. The difference between the teams in this regard was that City tended to

concede possession at crucial moments in their attacks, via a stray pass or clumsy foul, thus handing Hiroshima a counter-attacking opportunity.

Adam Dickinson had toiled up front for City with little reward throughout the match, but it was his strong 74th minute surge out of defence and subsequent feeding of the overlapping figure of Milne which saw the Aucklanders enjoying their best chance of the match.

Ironically, it was Hiroshima who nearly handed them an equaliser, the defenders' eagerness to deny the largely anonymous Exposito requiring the scrambled intervention of goalkeeper Shusaku Niskikawa to keep the locals in front on the scoreboard.

Three minutes later, Koji Morisaki went close with a twenty yard free-kick before defender Ryota Moriwaki rattled City's crossbar with a rasping twenty-yarder six minutes from time, after Takahagi's corner had been initially cleared.

Sato went close with a header from Yamagishi's cross, whie at the other end of the park two minutes from time, Feneridis parting his captain's hair with a well-flighted free-kick from long-range with which Vicelich only just failed to make contact.

City pressed again, Luis Corrales and Emiliano Tade - substitutes both - leading the charge before Hiroshima secured possession and launched a four-on-two counter-attack which they somehow made a pig's ear of!

It was desperation time now for Auckland, but when Takahagi dashed through onto Aoyama's measured pass in stoppage time, the game looked up for them. Vicelich had other ideas, however, his fine covering tackle thwarting the midfielder as he shaped to shoot.

Their captain's actions prompted City to launch one last raid in pursuit of an equaliser. Both Corrales and Vicelich saw shots blocked before the latter cleverly worked an opening for Riera, lurking just outside the penalty area.

He evaded a couple of challenges before lobbing the ball beyond the far post to Dickinson, who side-stepped a defender prior to unleashing a thumping close-range effort which crept inches over the crossbar, ending with it Auckland's gallant efforts to replicate their 2009 efforts in finishing fifth at this tournament.

Hiroshima: Nishikawa; Moriwaki, Chiba, Mizumoto (booked, 46); Mikic (Seoko, 82), Takahagi, Aoyama, Kazuyuki Morisaki, Shimizu (Yamagishi, 60 (booked, 71)); Sato, Koji Morisaki (Ishihara, 90)

Auckland: Williams; Milne, Vicelich, Berlanga (booked, 38)Iwata; Feneridis, Riera (booked, 50), Bale; Capricci (Corrales, 67), Dickinson, Exposito (Tade, 77)

Referee: Djamel Haimoudi (Algeria)

Auckland City