Auckland FC 2
Wellington Phoenix 1
If you wanted a recipe for the best rivalry in New Zealand sport, this is it.
What a match. What an occasion. And maybe the start of a football revolution?
The short story is that Auckland FC maintained their dominance over the Wellington Phoenix with a 2-1 win in a gripping encounter.
The longer story is that the city went a bit football mad, with scenes of passion, drama and celebration rarely seen here, with a record 26,253 crowd creating a cauldron, fuelled by a large contingent of Wellington fans.
And to top it off, Auckland coach Steve Corica called his Phoenix counterpart Giancarlo Italiano “disrespectful” in the wake of comments during the week, which Corica said he used as pre-match motivation for his squad.
That will only add more spice to the simmering tension between the two clubs, creating a fascinating storyline.
On Saturday, Auckland were dominant and thoroughly deserved the result, though Wellington will rue some missed opportunities and the concession of two more unfortunate goals.
They went behind when defender Issac Hughes headed the ball into his own net in the 31st minute after Hiroki Sakai got free in the area and produced a driven cross, before Nando Pijnaker’s 70th-minute header from a free kick, with Phoenix goalkeeper Josh Oluwayemi caught in two minds.
Kosta Barbarouses sparked a late fightback with a neat finish to end Auckland’s run of clean sheets, but the home side were good enough to hang on.
It’s their sixth consecutive win – to remain top of the table – while the Phoenix will lick their wounds.
Italiano’s midweek statements had provided a touchpoint, as he said Auckland were “there for the taking”, “very vulnerable” and had been “lucky” across an early season schedule with five of their first six games in New Zealand.
“I was a little bit disappointed with ‘Chief’,” said Corica. “He said a couple of things in the media that were a little bit disrespectful to our team. I used that as motivation for the boys because it helps. Every little inch helps in derby games.”
Both teams were affected by the occasion but just like in the capital the Phoenix struggled to keep their heads at times, and the Auckland press was again highly effective, squeezing the Wellington team into mistakes.
Both coaches admitted that the physical battle - important in such games - had been edged by Auckland. The expansion team continue to impress with their defensive solidity, their composure and their commitment to the cause.
“A derby comes down to little details,” said Corica. “You’ve got to put your body on the line, have a willingness to work hard, play good football and create chances.”
The tone of the match was set early, with a heavy challenge in the first 30 seconds. There was plenty of bite, tackles flying in, in true ‘mate against mate’ fashion.
After withstanding some early pressure, the Phoenix constructed some nice moves, though the final pass or move was often tentative, like a golfer leaving a putt short of the hole.
Auckland were more threatening, while they did well to overcome the loss of influential midfielder Louis Verstraete (back problem) in the 23rd minute.
The first goal was a disaster for the Phoenix. Sakai got free on the right after a neat move – “we probably should have defended that better” admitted Italiano - and suddenly there was space – way too much space – and his vicious ball forced the error from Hughes. It was tough on the young defender and also an eerie replica of Auckland’s first goal during the last sold-out occasion here, in their inaugural game.
Wellington had to push after the break and Hideki Ishige flashed a shot over the bar, while a Jake Brimmer free kick was just wide.
The Phoenix introduced Marco Rojas after the hour mark but they still struggled to find space in midfield or a way past the blue defensive wall, often resorting to hopeful diagonal balls.
Auckland then twisted the knife, with Nando Pijnaker’s goal, from a deep cross by Sakai, sparking wild celebrations. It was a well-placed header but another poor concession in the circumstances.
Wellington’s misery was then compounded by one of the misses of the season, as Matt Sheridan couldn’t find an open net from two metres out – getting his feet tangled up – after a Sam Sutton shot was parried by Alex Paulsen.
Alex Rufer sparked a melee after he appeared to kick out at Luis Toomey after a confrontation – Corica thought the Phoenix captain deserved a red card. Rufer then opened the door to a comeback, setting up Barbarouses’ 82nd-minute goal with a delightful through ball, before an expert finish.
That made for an exciting finale but Auckland held firm.
Auckland FC 2 (Isaac Hughes own goal, Nando Pijnaker)
Wellington Phoenix 1 (Kosta Barbarouses)
HT: 1-0
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics’, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. A football aficionado, Burgess will never forget the noise that greeted Rory Fallon’s goal against Bahrain in Wellington in 2009.
The two sides couldn’t be separated after 90 minutes at Go Media Stadium.