GOAL HERO: Bay United's Kohei Matsumoto keeps Auckland City dangerman Micah Lea'alafa in check last night before the Japanese defender scored the equalising goal. Photo / www.photosport.nz
GOAL HERO: Bay United's Kohei Matsumoto keeps Auckland City dangerman Micah Lea'alafa in check last night before the Japanese defender scored the equalising goal. Photo / www.photosport.nz
Were Hawke's Bay United content to sit back in defence or were Auckland City so dominant that they didn't give their visitors any choice?
It seems it's a case of the latter as overwhelming favourites Auckland could only manage a 1-1 stalemate against Bay United at QEB Stadium last night in what was billed as the repeat of the 2014-15 ASB Premiership grand final.
The harsh reality is there's City and then the rest of the peloton in the national summer league.
If any team, let alone Bay United, are to do the unthinkable in this summer's grand final then they'll have to do much better against a side who were coming off a 4-0 thrashing over Waitakere United.
The world No 3 champion club played at a furious pace from the opening whistle, hogging possession.
When Bay United got scant possession for 80 per cent of the game the Navy Blues were so quick in their faces they coughed up the ball through unforced errors.
If Ryan De Vries and Emiliano Tade were the men to watch at the coalface last summer then it's time to make way for a maestro called Micah Lea'alafa.
It's hard to believe that the bloke who goes by the nickname of Sanchez hasn't got an international cap for his country, the Solomon Islands.
In fact, Wellington Phoenix coach Ernie Merrick could do with someone with Lea'alafa's dexterity and flair in his A-League stable.
"We knew we would have had to work hard so I could not ask for anything more from the boys who did a real shift tonight," said Bay United coach Brett Angell who was besides himself in the dying minutes as Auckland looked like snatching three points.
"We were just beginning to get into the game but it took us a long time to get there so it was a great point," said Angell, accepting City set the benchmark and footy faithful were expecting a Waitakere United-type demolition job on them.
"We gave away possession too quickly and quite cheaply. They pressure well so you have to earn the right to play them."
Brett Angell
Angell was assuming Bay fans were watching the game on Sky Sport last night and was hopeful they felt his boys did the province proud.
"You don't get any extra points because they are Auckland ... but we have 13 more games to go.
"We need self-belief and continuity of possession so who knows where that'll lead us."
Rain minutes before the 7.45pm kick off made the park testing in what resembled a cowboy and Indians movie with Bay United content to form a circle of wagons to absorb the onslaught.
Lea'alafa drew first blood in the 12th minute when after a couple of one-two exchanges left Bay defender Sean Liddicoat stranded before drilling the ball from an acute angle from about 12m out for his fifth goal in three games for the Blues as goalkeeper Joshua Hill dived in vain.
In the 17th minute, a Bay United raid had enough impetus to prompt City coach Ramon Tribulietx to emerge from his dugout with consternation painted all over his face.
Rain persisted in the second spell and five minutes into the spell Khair Jones replaced fellow Palmerston North defender Liddicoat.
Bay midfielders Tom Biss (39th minute), Jade Mesias (62nd minute) and Corey Chettleburgh (67th) had chances to find the net but their finishing left little to be desired.
In the 76th minute, De Vries almost made it 2-0 after a great cross from Mikel Alvaro across the face of the goalmouth but Bay defender Kohei Matsumoto put his body on the line to concede an uneventful cornerkick.
Hill told De Vries and Joao Moriera to talk to his hand with two excellent parries in succession in the 80th minute, seconds before ex-Bay United Nathaniel Hailemariam came on for Moriera.
But five minutes later, Auckland goalkeeper Jacob Spoonley paid the price for cockily drifting too far up the field one time too many as the visitors stunned the crowd with the equaliser.
Striker Hamish Watson won the ball on counterattack inside Auckland's half, surged up the field to draw a defender and Spoonley before flicking a pass to Matsumoto who intelligently curled the ball towards a gaping goalmouth from about 35m out.
