Auckland City v. Waitakere United, 28/3/10

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Goal Difference Decides Outcome After Enthralling Draw

by Jeremy Ruane

Waitakere United ended Auckland City’s hopes of back-to-back OFC Champions League crowns on March 28, the enthralling 2-2 draw the arch-rivals battled out at Kiwitea Street enough to see the West Aucklanders finish top of their O-League group on goal difference, thereby qualifying for the first leg of the Grand Final in three weeks time.

The match was a fine advertisement for top-flight football in New Zealand, and was well in keeping with the standards these Kiwi footballing juggernauts have set over the course of their brief yet vibrant rivalry.

Indeed, both could have opened the scoring inside the first fifty seconds of the match, Waitakere’s Roy Krishna blazing over from twenty-five yards after just fifteen seconds, while from the resulting goal-kick, Daniel Koprivcic lashed a fifteen yard drive at Danny Robinson after good work by Adam Dickinson.

The frenetic nature of the opening stages intensified further in the third minute, when Waitakere opened the scoring. A poor Greg Uhlmann pass was pounced on by Krishna, who raced forward before threading a pass through the inside right channel into the stride of Benjamin Totori.

With Ivan Vicelich in hot pursuit, and Jacob Spoonley hurtling off his line to narrow the angle, the Solomon Islands international calmly threaded the needle, steering the sphere between the approaching goalkeeper and the far post before wheeling away in delight as the ball rolled into the far corner of the net.

Straight from the kick-off, Auckland sought parity, Alex Feneridis sending Jason Hayne down the right at pace. He rounded Waitakere’s player-coach, Neil Emblen, before whipping a cross into the near post area, just beyond the incoming figure of Koprivcic.

The next twenty minutes were dominated by the visitors, Auckland seemingly bereft of ideas at this stage of a match they began knowing that nothing short of victory would be suffice to ensure their passage towards another trip to Abu Dhabi and the FIFA Club World Cup Finals in December.

Waitakere could, perhaps should, have doubled their advantage during this spell. Martin Bullock thrashed a twenty-five yard free-kick narrowly past Spoonley’s left-hand post in the eighth minute, while City’s custodian got down smartly to smother a Jake Butler drive three minutes later.

Totori came desperately close to doubling his team’s lead in the fourteenth minute, deftly wriggling through three challenges before poking the ball past Spoonley but agonisingly past the far post as well - his enterprise deserved better fate.

City rode out the storm, then started to gather a head of steam of their own, Feneridis leading the charge. He sprayed the ball wide to Ki Hyung Lee in the 26th minute, and the Korean international flighted an inviting cross towards the far post which Dickinson was all over like a rash until Robinson’s fingertips put paid to his scoring prospects.

Seconds later, Feneridis was inspiring City again, linking with Dickinson this time. The Scouser evaded three challenges before unleashing a shot which took a deflection and crashed against the crossbar. Koprivcic raced in for the rebound, but Robinson did just enough to thwart him on this occasion.

United counter-attacked straight away, the pace of Krishna and Totori, which is so crucial to the team’s brand of football, seeing them set up an opening between them. Spoonley blocked Totori’s shot, but the ball wasn’t cleared, and Allan Pearce promptly set up Brent Fisher, whose curling effort arced

narrowly past the far post.

City rampaged downfield from the resulting goal-kick, and within seconds, Tahitian referee Norbert Hauata was pointing to the penalty spot after Neil Sykes was adjudged to have felled Hayne in the area by referee’s assistant, Brent Best. Koprivcic’s unerring finish from twelve yards restored parity - game on!

Lee and Emblen exchanged long-range efforts in the next three minutes, that of the United player a full-blooded screamer which was matched in magnificent fashion by the flying figure of Spoonley - great shot, great save!

City’s ‘keeper was called into action again seven minutes before the interval, blocking a Totori shot to safety after the striker had slalomed down the left and got in between a couple of City defenders before letting fly.

Auckland responded via the pace of Hayne - the threat he presented wasn’t utilised anywhere near enough by the reigning champions. On the occasions they did, Waitakere replicated the nervousness of their opponent’s rearguard whenever Totori or Krishna bore down on them.

Hayne’s work on this occasion culminated in a cross from the right which Koprivcic just failed to convert, thus bringing to an end a lively first half which United edged over opponents who were on course to maintain their remarkable unbeaten domestic record as things stood.

Totori sparked the second spell into life by leading City’s defenders a merry dance just two minutes into the half, only to meet his match in Spoonley, who was unquestionably the busier ‘keeper throughout the match.

Soon after Lee had thwarted Totori’s progress with a vital challenge, City’s ‘keeper was called upon once more to maintain the 1-1 scoreline, this time by Bullock, whose twenty-five yard free-kick brought another fine save out of Spoonley, who was forced to dive low to his left on this occasion.

Back came City, the timely tackle of Pearce - what was he doing back there? - curtailing the charge of Dickinson just as he was shaping to shoot in the 53rd minute. Four minutes later, Koprivcic clipped a cross to the far post where Feneridis rose high. Jason Rowley rose higher, and somehow managed to head the ball over his own crossbar from virtually directly underneath it - a remarkable foil.

The resulting corner from City was cleared to the edge of United’s penalty area, where Lee was lurking. But he was caught in possession, and away raced Waitakere, Bullock leading the charge down the right in the 58th minute.

Totori was inside him in support, and duly received a pass from the midfielder which the striker fair battered beyond the diving figure of Spoonley from fully twenty-five yards - a stunning strike, which left City needing to score twice inside the last half-hour to reach the Grand Final, and a clash with Papua New Guinea’s champions, Hekari Souths United.

Auckland haven’t gone over a year without defeat against opponents from New Zealand and Oceania without learning a trick or three en route. They duly delved into their box of surprises and came up with a final thirty minutes of classic cup-tie football, throwing everything but the kitchen sink at Waitakere in their efforts to turn the match around.

Chad Coombes fired narrowly wide in the 64th minute after stripping Bullock of the ball, while seven minutes later, City were celebrating again -2-2. Lee and Koprivcic worked a one-two on the right which culminated in the former’s driven cross being palmed out by Robinson, straight to Uhlmann.

From four yards, there was no way he was going to miss, and his firm header ensured that there was renewed vigour in Auckland’s stride for the remainder of the match, which took another twist just three minutes later.

Dickinson got away from Butler and let fly, only for Robinson to smother his twenty-five yard effort. Seconds later, Waitakere’s captain was heading to the dressing rooms, his day done after committing his second bookable offence sixteen minutes from time.

Butler’s premature departure put United under all sorts of pressure, with Auckland pounding away in search of a winner. Uhlmann directed a header wide of the target upon receipt of a cross from Hayne, while Vicelich sent a thirty-yarder fizzing over the bar by not a lot soon after.

Seven minutes from time, Lee’s corner overshot its target, but Coombes was able to retrieve the situation near the touchline before chipping a lovely cross onto the head of Dickinson, who directed his header narrowly over the crossbar - a great chance!

Still they hammered away, a twenty yard volley from Coombes flashing past the far post after Koprivcic and Vicelich had combined in the 86th minute. A brief respite allowed Bullock to set up Pearce for a chance which he lobbed harmlessly into Spoonley’s hands, but very soon there were nigh on twenty players camped inside United’s half of the field as City mounted one last collective assault to snatch victory at the expense of their arch-rivals.

Try as they might, it just wouldn’t happen for them. Lee lashed a low twenty-yarder through a crowded goalmouth which Robinson did well simply to see, never mind smother, while substitute Grant Young, so often City’s hero in such circumstances, just wasn’t enjoying the bounce of the ball as he attempted to improve on his prolific goalscoring record for the club.

Deep in stoppage time, Dickinson and Lee combined on the right, with the latter’s cross picking out the head of Ian Hogg. His header flew across the face of goal and just beyond the incoming figure of substitute Paul Urlovic as he raced in on the far post to steal victory at the death for City, just as he did in that all-time classic encounter between these clubs a couple of Christmases ago.

It wasn’t to be this time, however, and when the final whistle sounded, it was Waitakere who were celebrating, the point earned from this match enough to see them edge out Auckland by the narrowest of margins - one solitary goal, goal difference ultimately the deciding factor between these well-matched rivals.

City gave their all, but while they retained their remarkable unbeaten record, they will look back on those missed chances in other group games, or those goals they conceded, and wonder what might have been had they converted just one or those opportunities, or kept one out.

United, however, face Hekari United in the two-legged final, with the winner guaranteed $US 500,000 prize-money as a result of qualifying for December’s FIFA Club World Cup Finals in Abu Dhabi by virtue of prevailing on aggregate after the clashes in Port Moresby on April 17, and at Fred Taylor Park on May 2.

Auckland: Spoonley; Williams (Young, 65), Vicelich (booked, 7), Uhlmann (booked, 51), Hogg; Feneridis (Urlovic, 83), Lee, Coombes (booked, 64); Hayne (booked, 69), Koprivcic, Dickinson

Waitakere: Robinson; Scott, Rowley (Myers, 80), Emblen, Sykes; Krishna, Bullock, Butler (booked, 56, 74 - sent off), Pearce; Totori, Fisher

Referee: Norbert Hauata (Tahiti)

Auckland City