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Western Wallop Unbeaten League Leaders
by Jeremy Ruane
For previous 2024-25 match reports, go here and click on the date
Western United became the first club to lower the colours of Isuzu Ute A-League leaders Auckland FC on 21 December, and they did it in style in front of 13,681 fans at GoMedia Mt. Smart Stadium, walloping the previously unbeaten table-toppers 4-0.
United were all over the hosts like a rash early doors, Hiroshi Ibuzuki firing a warning shot across Auckland's bows inside the opening sixty seconds before Rhys Bozinovski lashed an attempt from the edge of the penalty area narrowly past Alex Paulsen's left-hand upright in the third minute, Abel Walatee having worked a one-two with Noah Botic to engineer the opening.
The visitors continued to take the game to their opponents, but Auckland finally showed some signs of life in the eleventh minute, when Liam Gillion led a raid which saw him link up with Hiroki Sakai and Callan Elliot, whose near post cross found Guillermo May flying in to meet, but at such pace that he wasn't able to direct his headed attempt on target.
Western went straight down the other end and forced a panicked clearance from Sakai, the ball landing at the feet of Riku Danzaki, who weaved his way through traffic before rattling the side-netting from ten yards.
Back came Gillion, who did Charbel Shamoon a treat before fizzing in a low cross for May. Tomoki Imai intervened on this occasion - very little got past the Japanese defender in this match; his was a commanding display.
United came again on the quarter hour, and this time were rewarded for their endeavour. Danzaki let rip from outside the area, the shot striking the outstretched arm of Elliot inside the eighteen-yard box - penalty every day of the week, and referee Casey Reibelt knew it.
Danzaki sent Paulsen the wrong way from the twelve yard mark, and John Aloisi's charges had a lead few would begrudge them, given the way they had set out their stall - they were playing to win, in stark contrast to the last visitors to this venue, Wellington Phoenix.
And they weren't satisfied with just the one goal, either. Sakai blocked a twenty yard rocket from the outstanding Angus Thurgate five minutes after the goal, Walatee having carved out the chance for the midfield general, who was instrumental in Western's second goal, in the 23rd minute.
Thurgate's smart turn took him past an opponent and into the penalty area, from where he fizzed in a low cross. Nando Pijnaker's block prevented Ibuzuki from getting a clean shot on goal, but the striker persisted in his bid to find the net, only for Paulsen to block his close-range effort. The ball rebounded out to Botic, whose stylish volley from six yards made it 2-0 to the visitors.
Auckland were reeling, their fans particularly, but if they thought the worst of it was over, they had another thing coming. Three minutes after the goal, a Walatee corner to the far post saw Imai rise above all-comers to direct a downward header goalwards, the ball bouncing up and prompting Paulsen to tip it over the bar.
On the half-hour, Louis Verstraete had sent May through on goal - Matt Sutton dived to his left to turn the striker's shot to safety. The resulting corner was disappointing, but Jake Brimmer kept things alive by chasing down a stray cross and delivering a first-time ball into the danger zone for May to put away. Imai had other ideas - 2-0 it remained.
Not for long, however. Felipe Gallegos looked to play a pass to Brimmer, but referee Reibelt inadvertently blocked him, preventing the midfielder from reaching the ball. Imai send "Thankyou very much!" and swooped on it in the
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centre circle before surging forward and playing a through ball which took Ibusuki in behind Pijnaker, from where the striker tucked the ball home beyond Paulsen - 3-0!
This was dreamland stuff for Western, and nightmare territory for the home team, who simply weren't at the races in the opening forty-five minutes, with the exception of May, who never stopped trying to reduce the deficit.
He drew another save from Sutton in the 36th minute, then, together with Gillion, went down in the penalty area three minutes later as Western defended a Francis de Vries free-kick. The ball broke for Verstraete, whose shot was deflected past the post.
Three minutes before half-time, Western came within inches of making it four, and had Thurgate's thunderbolt not crashed against the crossbar but instead found the top corner of the net, the decent-sized crowd would have witnessed a certain contender for "Goal of the Season" - it was a stunning attempt to score.
Steve Corica's charges had it all to do in the second half, but try as they might, it just wasn't meant to be on this occasion. In the 53rd minute, Sutton turned a Jesse Randall shot round the post after de Vries, Gallegos and Verstraete had combined to send him away down the left.
Two minutes later, Sutton was at full stretch to keep out a Gallegos twenty-yarder, while Gillion sent the ball soaring over the bar from ten yards in the 58th minute, after Paulsen went downtown in a bid to shake things up. Pijnaker latched onto the resulting clearance, and worked a one-two with Randall before linking with May, whose acrobatic volley was well saved by Sutton.
Western weathered Auckland's storm, and sent a couple of reminders that the visitors weren't content with their tally of three goals were sent after the hour mark, via Walatee corners. Paulsen tipped the first of them over the bar, while Imai directed a header past the post on receipt of another, although a further corner should have been awarded as it clearly struck Verstraete en route.
The final ten minutes saw Auckland hunting for a consolation goal, with Max Mata's penalty claims turned away by referee Reibelt, who did not have a great game, it must be said. Sutton smothered a Randall twenty-yarder soon after, then raced out to head clear from Mata. The ball broke for May, whose bid to find the unguarded net from thirty yards out with the goalkeeper racing back towards the target was unsuccessful.
Western iced the cake three minutes from time. After Paulsen had grabbed a deflected shot from Jake Najdovski, Thurgate picked out Ramy Najjarine, who slipped fellow substitute Matt Grimaldi through the inside left channel, from where he directed an unerring angled drive across Paulsen and into the net by the far post - 4-0.
As proved by their near constant singing throughout proceedings, Auckland's fans never gave up on their team - proper supporters, these, with no need for gimmicks which draw attention to themselves - and cheered heartily when Paulsen pulled off a fine save in stoppage time to deny Michael Ruhs another goal for John Aloisi's side. Lord knows four was more than enough!
Auckland: Paulsen; Elliot (Galloway, 46), Sakai, Pijnaker, de Vries (Mata, 67); Verstraete (McKenlay, 88), Brimmer (Rogerson, 46), Gallegos (booked, 20); Gillion, May, Moreno (Randall, 52)
Western: Sutton; Russell, Imai (booked, 79), Leonard, Shamoon; Danzaki (Najjarine, 77), Thurgate, Bozinovski (Lauton, 77), Walatee (Grimaldi, 67); Ibusuki (Najdovski, 85), Botic (Ruhs, 67)
Referee: Casey Reibelt
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