Soccer: Double delight for City as champs Waitakere crash

Morgan Day of Otago yesterday. Photo / Richard Robinson

There was a plenty of joy at Kiwitea St yesterday as an under-strength Auckland City downed Otago United 3-0 while nearest ASB Premiership challengers Waitakere United fell 2-1 to Canterbury United.

City now head to the season break with a three-point lead over Waitakere and Canterbury with a game in hand.

In Wellington, Team Wellington scored two unanswered first half goals and held on to beat neighbours YoungHeart Manawatu by that score to move up a place to fourth. The remaining sixth round fixture was abandoned earlier in the day with Porritt Stadium declared unplayable.

Before heading north for the challenging task of meeting Auckland City on their patch, Otago coach Richard Murray said: "With the huge task of playing Auckland away we will need to be firing on all cylinders."

For the first 45 minutes the southerners gave as good as they got against a City team missing regulars Jacob Spoonley, Manel Exposito, Albert Riera and Adam Dickinson.

In the end the pressure got to Otago and City completed their task with three unanswered second half goals through Emiliano Tade, Stephen Carmichael and veteran Daniel Koprivcic.

It was a brave effort by the visitors in difficult conditions. Neither goalkeeper Liam Little (Auckland) and Peter Evans had much to keep them warm in the first half but Evans was busier in the second.

Four minutes after Angel Berlanga had a header hooked off the line, City went ahead through Tade who gave the hosts their 69th minute lead. The rest of the scoring came in time added on.

Andrew Milne, on for Luis Corrales, set up substitute Carmichael for the second goal, scored in the second added minute.

Two minutes later Koprivcic sealed the deal.

It was a weekend to forget for defending champions Waitakere whose youth team also suffered defeat, going down 2-1 to Canterbury United in Saturday's defence of the ASB Youth League title, despite taking an early lead.

The senior team's flight south to Christchurch yesterday was delayed by heavy rain which rushed their arrival and put the kick-off time back.

Waitakere dominated for long periods but fell a goal behind to a Cole Peverley penalty on the half hour and went 2-0 down in the 85th minute when substitute Calvin Opperman scored.

Gagame Feni's strike in stoppage time was a mere consolation.

Coach Neil Emblen was left to puzzle over his team's inability to convert the half dozen or so clear scoring chances his players had created.

The league takes a break until mid-January when Auckland host Canterbury in the match of the round.