Auckland City v. TP Mazembe, 16/12/09

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Auckland Score Massive Pay-Day With Last-Gasp Win

by Jeremy Ruane

Auckland City, the amateur club who are currently ranked number one in New Zealand and the Oceania Football Confederation, scored another massive upset at the FIFA Club World Cup Finals on 16 December, coming from behind to stun ten-man African club champions TP Mazembe 3-2 and claim their second win over professional opposition in a week.

The last-gasp winner - Riki Van Steeden’s goal was struck in the fourth minute of stoppage time - will forever rank as priceless for the game in New Zealand, as victory was worth $US 1.5m to the winners, who finished fifth at the tournament.

An Ivan Vicelich header from a Ki Hyung Lee corner after just 45 seconds apart, what ended up being a dramatic match endured a fairly quiet opening twenty minutes, with the Africans enjoying plenty of possession in the face of another resolute Auckland rearguard effort.

The only time Mazembe threatened during this spell was when Mulota Kabangu’s low cross forced Paul Gothard to save at the feet of the incoming Luyeye Mvete, whose only contribution to the match this was.

For he was the sacrificial lamb after a 24th minute incident which turned the game on its head. Lee sent Daniel Koprivcic careering through the offside trap, and as goalkeeper Muteba Kidiaba raced out of his area to thwart the striker, he was adjudged to have handled the ball in doing so.

Mexican referee Benito Archundia had no hesitation in brandishing the red card, with the distraught goalkeeper’s departure prompting the introduction of replacement custodian Aime Bakula.

His first task was to pick the ball out of the back of the net five minutes later. After Ian Hogg had spurned a glorious chance to open the scoring, opting to pass when inside the penalty area, Adam Dickinson sent Jason Hayne spearing through the offside trap with a peach of a pass from half-way.

Bakula raced out of goal in similar fashion to Kidiaba minutes before, but Hayne won the race, and chested the ball round the advancing ‘keeper before rolling it home into an empty net.

Surely the amateurs weren’t going to upset a second professional team inside a week? The scoreboard suggested they were, and the scoreboard should have been altered twice more in City’s favour before the half-time whistle.

Lee picked out Hayne on the right nine minutes before half-time, and with players queuing up in the penalty area, the goalscorer opted for Chad Coombes, who was crowded out by desperate Mazembe defenders.

Five minutes later, Sam Campbell squandered a glorious chance to double City’s lead when picked out by an inch-perfect cross from Dickinson. Bakula did just enough to put the unmarked defender off - Campbell headed wide with the goal gaping.

The half-time break allowed the African champions to regroup, and coach Diego Garzitto revived their prospects despite the numerical challenge facing his side. They came out all guns blazing in the second half, and thrice spurned chances to score inside its first five minutes.

Captain Mabi Mputu volleyed over the bar before setting up Kabangu, who blazed a shot over the crossbar with the goal at his mercy. Then Mputu flicked a shot beyond Gothard’s right-hand post after getting in between Vicelich and Campbell to get on the end of an Amia Ekanga ball forward.

The champions of Oceania were startled by this change in approach from the team from the Democratic Republic of Congo, but should have put the game beyond them in the 55th minute.

Half-time substitute Daniel Morgan sent Hayne haring through on goal from half-way, with another interval replacement, Grant Young, up in support, completely unmarked and onside.

Hayne went for glory as he charged into the penalty

Ivan Vicelich leaps on top of match-winner Riki Van Steeden as James Pritchett catches up to celebrate Auckland's winning goal against TP Mazembe

Referee Benito Archundia brandishes the red card to TP Mazembe goalkeeper Muteba Kidiaba after his 24th minute blemish

TP Mazembe supporters, led by Joseph, their wild-eyed witch doctor

area, however, and shot straight at Bakula, whose save sparked a counter-attack which culminated in Mputu firing over the bar.

Hayne’s miss was underlined on the hour when TP Mazembe levelled in stunning fashion. Kilitcho Kasusula hoisted the ball forward to Mputu, who guided it down for Ekanga. He squared the ball into the path of Ngandu Kasongo, who hammered home an absolute rocket from twenty-five yards into the top corner, Gothard’s dive in vain.

Stunned, Auckland looked to hit back immediately, Matt Williams lobbing the ball forward for Young to pursue. Bakula raced out to thwart the striker on the edge of the penalty area.

Cue another African onslaught. Gothard saved superbly with his legs to deny Kasusula in the 64th minute, after Kabangu had broken down the right and crossed to the far post, while Mputu headed the resulting corner narrowly past the post.

Vicelich inadvertently handled the ball in the penalty area soon after, but unsighted referee Archundia could do nothing to appease Mazembe’s appeals. So the Congoese combination contrived an absolutely superb goal to take the lead, in the 67th minute.

Ekanga and Kasongo combined to present the ball to Mputu, who was aware of Kasusula storming up in support down the left. An impudent back-heel by Mazembe’s captain guided the ball into the path of the overlapping fullback, who didn’t break stride as he smashed the ball into the top far corner of the net from eight yards - stunning stuff!

2-1 to Mazembe, for all of five minutes! For City weren’t done for by any means. Williams and Coombes combined on the right in the 72nd minute, with the latter playing the ball into the goalmouth for Young. Bakula blocked at his feet, but the rebound sat up perfectly for Hayne to thrash a volley high into the net from the edge of the penalty area - 2-2!

It was all on now, with both teams wary of making a mistake which could prove fatal at this late stage of proceedings, while still keen to clinch victory. Mazembe were the more attack-minded combination, despite their numerical disadvantage, but squandered a number of chances in the dying minutes, any one of which could have clinched victory.

Mputu slipped at the vital moment in the 76th minute as he looked to get on the end of a pass from substitute Dioko Kaluyituka, who combined with his captain to set up Kasongo two minutes later. From six yards out, the scorer of Mazembe’s first goal somehow steered the ball over the bar.

Kaluyituka missed two golden opportunities in as many minutes to win the match in the dying stages, pulling one shot across the face of goal then striking the outside of Gothard’s near post as City held on, with the game, fifth place and the additional $US 500,000 set to be decided on a penalty shoot-out.

Stoppage time now, and with a draw all but certain, Auckland mounted one last attack. Lee fed Young down the left, and steaming up outside him was Morgan. The veteran rolled the ball into the path of the youngster, who steered the ball neatly into the path of Riki Van Steeden.

The substitute’s unerring finish arrowed past Bakula to clinch a dramatic 3-2 victory for Auckland City, whose joy at the goal, and the final whistle which followed seconds later, was unconfined - they had realised what many had thought impossible, crowning a stunning year for the game in New Zealand with arguably the greatest achievement of them all.

Auckland: Gothard; Pritchett, Vicelich, Campbell, Hogg (Van Steeden, 75); Coombes, Lee, Williams; Hayne, Koprivcic (booked, 9) (Young, 46), Dickinson (Morgan, 46)

TP Mazembe: Kidiaba (sent off, 24); Mabele, Milandu (booked, 57), Mihayo, Kasusula; Kabangu (Kaluyituka, 74), Mputu, Ekanga, Bedi, Kasongo; Mvete (Bakula, 25)

Referee: Benito Archundia (Mexico)

Auckland City