KEY POINTS:
Auckland city took their first step towards another trip to Fifa's World Club Cup with an emphatic opening- day 6-0 win over French Polynesian champions AS Manu Ura yesterday.
There were similarities to City's opener last season. Playing in Noumea, they beat AS Mont Dore 2-0 in a game in which the home team's goalkeeper was sent off for a challenge which resulted in a penalty and left City with the advantage of an extra player.
Same story yesterday.
Half an hour into the game, played at the Croatian Cultural Society's McLeod Rd ground - a superb venue while City's Kiwitea St headquarters undergoes renovation - Jeff Campbell was brought down by keeper Daniel Tapeta.
The penalty was awarded and Tapete, perhaps a trifle harshly, sent off by Fijian referee Rakesh Varman.
Keryn Jordan converted from the spot for his second goal - after opening the scoring inside six minutes and a 2-0 lead.
With Tapeta's dismissal it was over as a contest although the visitors, who arrived barely 30 hours before kick-off, had shown little to suggest they were going to seriously challenge the slick City outfit.
The home side shrugged off their lack of recent match practice to show enough to suggest they will again be a serious contender in not only this competition but also the New Zealand Football Championship which kicks off next weekend.
Former Korean international Ki-Hyung Lee slotted comfortably into a defensive midfield role. happy to leave the running to Chad Coombes, James Pritchett and Bryan Little who turned in a solid effort after being hampered by injury last season.
Coombes also stepped up to convince new coach Colin Tuaa he was worth his place in the starting line-up.
Little and Coombes combined superbly early in the second half with Little breaking wide on the right before crossing to Coombes who volleyed home for 4-0 after Grant Young had given City their 3-0 halftime lead again scoring from a ball played in by Little.
Paul Urlovic, who scored both goals in last season's opener in Noumea, but was on the bench for the first 56 minutes yesterday, set up Campbell for the fifth goal and then grabbed one for himself with a super strike from the edge of the penalty area after the ball had been pulled back to him by Coombes.
There were few even half chances for the visitors who were hamstrung when they had to drag off striker Hiashi Kake to allow substitute goalkeeper Jonathan Torohia to take his place when Tapeta was sent off.
The Tahitians will need to win their game against Waitakere United at Fred Taylor Park on Wednesday if they are to have any hope of progressing.
