📰 Auckland FC beat Melbourne Victory in first leg of Semi-Final

By Michael Burgess

In a season of giant strides, this is the biggest one so far for Auckland FC.

They executed a brilliant performance on Saturday night – with grit, poise, skill and courage – to topple Melbourne Victory on their own patch, in tough conditions.

The 1-0 win – thanks to a 64th-minute Logan Rogerson goal – means Auckland have one foot in the grand final, ahead of the second leg of the semifinal at Go Media stadium next Saturday.

And they could have killed the tie off, but Neyder Moreno’s 95th-minute shot – after a breakaway – freakishly bounced off both posts and then to safety.

This was the night Auckland FC had to stand up; to show what they are made of – and they passed every test.

Their season has been built on defensive resilience and that was the difference again, especially in the first half, as they withstood tremendous pressure. But they also threw plenty of punches – after weathering an early blitz – for a thoroughly deserved win, in front of the passionate and loud Victory support.

“Obviously I’m very proud of the way we defended because they’re a good attacking team, they’ve got real threats, dangerous players with the ball, one versus one,” said Auckland coach Steve Corica. ”We did a fantastic job on their dangerous players."

It was a remarkable playoff debut, with every player fronting up. It means Auckland are 90 minutes away from the ultimate finale, in a season already full of fairy tales, though Corica knows it is far from settled.

“We definitely know that the job’s not done,” said Corica. ”It’s obviously going to be tough at our ground as well, even though we’ll have all our supporters there. There’s still a lot of hard work to go."

Ahead of kickoff, Stand by Me – the Victory’s theme song for the last 15 years – reverberated around the stadium to create a ferocious atmosphere, with the famed North Terrace packed. The home side were always going to start strong, forcing a corner after just 23 seconds.

In the teeming rain, Auckland responded – with a Jesse Randall cross eluding three of his teammates – but the first 25 minutes was all about weathering the storm. The visitors spent long periods in their own territory and struggled to hold possession. There were nervy moments as Victory players twisted and turned in the area but the challenges were made, while a sequence with three consecutive blocks summed up the Auckland spirit.

But they were riding their luck, inviting pressure. Dan Hall produced a last-ditch tackle on Daniel Arzani, then Nando Pijnaker intervened to save a dangerous two-on-two situation. It was courageous stuff – and physical – with tackles flying in from both teams.

“We knew they would start fast, especially being at home, said Corica. ”It probably took us a little bit of time to get into the game. But that was a crucial period for us because we defended really well.”

Gradually though, Auckland settled, starting to weave their own patterns. Randall was the main outlet on the left, twice having shots blocked as he cut inside. A Felipe Gallegos effort screwed agonisingly wide, while a Marlee Francois corner flashed across the six-yard box. It was tense, tight stuff, with every tackle seeming to matter. Francis de Vries beat two players to storm into the box, though Hiroki Sakai’s shot – the only first-half effort on target – was well covered.

The Black Knights had a golden chance just after the break but Randall lifted his shot over the bar. The youngster had done everything right – released by a delightful pass from May – cutting inside his man but couldn’t find the finish.

A Pijnaker handball was correctly cleared by the video assistant referee (VAR) – much to the displeasure of the massed home support – before Alex Paulsen bravely intervened, diving to scoop away from Josh Rawlins.

There was a prolonged injury break, with Victory midfielder Brendan Hamill limping off with a suspected ACL injury.

In an assertive move, Corica brought on Liam Gillion (who had only appeared twice since mid-January) and Moreno, for Francois and Randall respectively.

Then came the magic moment, with Rogerson rising highest at the far post to head home from a pinpoint de Vries delivery. It was another perfect delivery from de Vries – in a season full of them – and Rogerson made no mistake, before the team ran to celebrate with the joyous travelling fans, as Th’ Dudes Bliss played over the stadium speakers.

“At halftime, we asked him to give us a little bit more,” revealed Corica. ”We wanted more from him. And he pops up with a goal like that at a crucial time. He’s done it all season and he’s doing really well for us."

There were further half-chances – with May straying offside and Moreno hitting high – while Victory pushed hard for an equaliser.

It made for a nervy finale, especially with six minutes of added time, but Auckland managed the conclusion well, a trademark of their campaign. There was almost the ultimate finish but Moreno’s shot hit the inside of the post, bounced back onto the other one then safely into the goalkeeper’s hands.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission.