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NZ Herald
30-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Auckland FC's success fuels football's rise over rugby in New Zealand
Auckland FC's Hiroki Sakai celebrates scoring a goal. Photo / Photosport THREE KEY FACTS With Auckland FC's explosion out of the blocks this year and football growing in popularity by the day, Nice Drop of Port podcast host Dale Owens asks the question – is football taking over from rugby as the nation's favourite sport? Across the sports fields of New
RNZ News
26-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Football round-up: The one thing Auckland FC didn't have which cost them A-League history
Auckland FC's Hiroki Sakai dejected after their semi-final loss to the Melbourne Victory. Photo: Shane Wenzlick / It was so nearly the perfect ending to a perfect debut season. Auckland FC came within touching distance of an unprecedented Premier's Plate and A-League Championship double in their inaugural campaign. But in a season where they did almost everything right - recruitment, tactics, fitness, fan connection, discipline - one crucial attribute failed them at the vital moment in their semi-final loss to Melbourne Victory: luck. Nando Pijnaker has been a rock at the back all season, consistently putting his body on the line with scant regard for his personal wellbeing. No player in the league finished with more clearances than his 186. In one recent match, he produced three in quick succession as Auckland's trademark dogged defence held firm under pressure. But at Mount Smart on Saturday, the bounce didn't go his way. In the 55th minute, Zinedine Machach let fly with a speculative effort that clipped Pijnaker's sliding knee and careened cruelly past a wrong-footed Alex Paulsen. Zinédine Machach of Melbourne Victory takes a shot at goal to score, Auckland FC v Melbourne Victory FC, leg 2 of the A-League semi final at Go Media Stadium, Auckland. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ Just like that, Auckland's first-leg advantage was gone. Five minutes later, things unravelled further. Still rattled, the defence switched off. Bruno Fornaroli, as wily as ever at 37, ghosted off Pijnaker's shoulder and was played onside by a lagging Francis de Vries. That was all the invitation he needed, and suddenly, Victory were in front. Auckland struggled to create meaningful chances, but they did still manage to get the ball in the net. Logan Rogerson, so often the scorer of crucial goals this season, nodded home at the back post after Guillermo May's looping cross. However, the whistle blew, referee Alex King and his fellow officials adjudged the ball had gone out of play. Post-game, Steve Corica was right to share his doubts and disappointment at the decision. A video assistant referee check barely lasted a few seconds, and in their haste, the officials may have got this one wrong. Even when Melbourne did gift Auckland a chance, goalkeeper Jack Duncan spilling a hail mary cross onto the outstretched limb of an advanced Pijnaker, his effort was scrambled off the goal-line. Sometimes, in football, your luck is just out. And who knew that it had actually started a week earlier at AAMI Park, when Neyder Moreno's late effort ricocheted between both posts before squirming away from goal? Auckland thank their fans. Photo: Shane Wenzlick / Auckland's misfortune is not to downplay Melbourne Victory's deserved triumph. Fortune favours the bold, and much like his brave turtleneck fashion choice, Victory head coach Arthur Diles' daring formation paid off. The visitors started with five attackers, including the mercurial Fornaroli. Diles went all in, and got his and his team's just rewards. As for Auckland, they have undoubtedly had their share of luck this season. A team doesn't score as many late goals as they have without the ball bouncing their way now and again. But when it mattered most, lady luck deserted them, which, as reasons for falling short of a dream debut double go, is about as good an excuse as you can get. In other football news: Chris Wood will not be playing Champions League football with Nottingham Forest next season. They needed to beat Chelsea on the final day to have any chance of making it into the top five but a 1-0 loss condemned them to seventh position. The kicker, Aston Villa and Newcastle United lost, meaning a Forest win would have seen them finish fourth. Instead, the UEFA Conference League awaits the All Whites captain. Speaking of the All Whites, Darren Bazeley announced his squad for upcoming friendlies against the Ivory Coast (June 8) and Ukraine (June 11). There are recalls for Ben Old, Finn Surman, Bill Tuiloma, Callan Elliot and Nik Tzanev. Sam Sutton has officially joined Perth Glory from the Wellington Phoenix. He's not the only one out the door this week. Nearly the entire backroom team, including assistant coach Adam Griffiths, are goneburger after a massive internal reshuffle. Sunderland will be joining Leeds United and Burnley in the Premier League next season after a dramatic 2-1 win over Sheffield United in the Championship play-off final. They will hope to fare better than recently promoted sides. None of the past six to be promoted have survived their first season while 10 of the last 15 have suffered the same fate.
NZ Herald
17-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Auckland FC v Melbourne Victory: The key factors as Auckland's A-League finals quest begins
Auckland may be new to this arena but won't be fazed. Look at some of their resumes: captain Hiroki Sakai at Fifa World Cups, Ligue 1 and Bundesliga, Louis Verstraete in big Belgium derbies, Dan Hall in consecutive A League grand finals, Jake Brimmer with eight seasons at Victory and the South American trio (Guillermo May, Felipe Gallegos and Neyder Moreno), who are veterans of high pressure occasions on that continent. However, as a collective group it is a novel and different test, while it may also be an eye-opener for the younger members of the squad. Formation It's expected Auckland FC will revert to a 3-5-2 shape tonight, used in the last clash with Victory. It means more bodies in central midfield, a stronger defensive shape and more chances for the wide players, particularly Francis de Vries, to get forward. However, it can be tricky, given they have favoured 4-4-2 for most of the campaign and it is imperative that the wing backs resist the temptation to sit too deep. Brimmer is likely to start alongside Gallegos and Verstraete to form the midfield axis, while Jesse Randall will be used up front alongside May, in the absence of Max Mata, who didn't travel due to a hamstring strain. Preparation Auckland FC have benefited from a week off and are refreshed and ready to go. A planned intra-squad match last Friday was called off after 20 minutes due to torrential rain but coach Steve Corica has been pleased with the work this week, while those close to the squad have noted the extra intensity. May hasn't trained fully this week due to a knee knock but will start. The team trained close to the central city yesterday – at the home of the Port Melbourne Sharks – before the players had a free afternoon to relax. Conditions The forecast isn't great for tonight. The weather has closed in here in Melbourne, with rain expected most of the day. It is something that Auckland haven't had to deal with for most of their season, with the vast majority of matches played under sunny skies. The AAMI Park field will also be heavier, cut up by yesterday's first semifinal between Melbourne City and Western United. Striking first It's a cliché but opening the scoring is crucial tonight. Auckland FC are great frontrunners – as they have shown all season – and are adept in transition if the opposition needs to chase the game. All 15 of their victories this season have come after they scored first. They haven't trailed many times this campaign but are yet to retrieve a deficit and come back and win. The finals quest Across their proud history Wellington Phoenix have never won a finals match in Australia, despite having some impressive squads down the years. That underlines the scale of tonight's task for Auckland FC, if they want to make history as a New Zealand side in the playoffs. Of course, a victory on Saturday is not imperative but the main focus will be going back to Go Media Stadium with something, as a draw would also be a solid base ahead of next week. The travelling fans There is expected to be a decent contingent of Auckland colour in the grandstands. A few hundred have made the trip over – some with a painful experience of the 6am flight from Auckland yesterday, with issues at Qantas check-in terminals resulting in massive queues – and they will be supplemented by expatriates taking the chance to see the Black Knights. The mentality Discipline, focus and especially concentration will be key tonight, as any lapses can have massive consequences. That was shown in last night's AAMI Park match, in the other semifinal. The first half was an even affair – with Melbourne City ahead 1-0 at the break – but Western United paid a harsh price for two poor moments in the second spell and the 3-0 defeat means the tie is all but over.
RNZ News
16-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Auckland FC up against Championship pedigree in A-League semi-finals
Nikos Vergos of Melbourne Victory FC and Hiroki Sakai of Auckland FC compete for the ball Photo: CON CHRONIS Melbourne Victory v Auckland FC Kickoff: Saturday 17 May, 9.35pm AAMI Park, Melbourne Live blog updates on RNZ Sport Auckland FC and Melbourne Victory's A-League semi-final series is a battle between a club creating history and the competition's most storied playoff club. Winners of the Premiership, for finishing top of the league after the regular season, Auckland have made an instant impact in their first season. The side's dominance was highlighted by the fact they had beaten every team expect Adelaide United at least once this season - including a 2-0 win over Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park less than a month ago. Coach Steve Corica said Auckland's dominance this season gave him confidence in his players ahead of the finals. "The journey started long time ago now, a year ago, and they've got better and better each game, and the most consistent team over the course of season is something we should be really proud of, and the premiership in our first year. "So can we go one better and get into the final and win that? Why not?" Auckland players celebrate their 2-0 win with their fans. Photo: Con Chronis / Photosport Despite being the lowest ranked qualifier for the 2024/25 semi-finals Melbourne Victory has history on their side. Across the previous 19 seasons Victory has won eight semi-finals. Victory has won the A-League Championship four times and the Premiership three times and is the only club to have won all four trophies available in Australian domestic football. After the regular season Victory upset Western Sydney Wanderers in an Elimination final to progress to the home and away semi-final series against Auckland. Melbourne Victory captain Roderick Miranda played down Auckland's lack of finals experience and compared the New Zealand side to Western United who won the Championship in 2022. "To be honest I think they play every single game as a final I always said if Auckland made it to the finals they would be a really difficult team to beat because they don't make a lot of mistakes it is a team that always wait for the mistake of an opponent. "They know how to defend they know how to [mitigate] all the threats of the other teams. "Every step they take on the pitch is because they work on that." Auckland FC midfielder Jake Brimmer is a former Victory player who is well aware of the club's history and the way the fan base feel about him now that he has left. Last time Auckland played Victory in Melbourne he was booed every time he touched the ball. "I was a little bit disappointed in a way because of what I did at Melbourne Victory but I guess that's football you never know what to expect," Brimmer said of his reception in April. "I've got no hate for Melbourne Victory, they're a great footballing team, but I wear [the Auckland FC] badge now and it's important we go out there and get the job done and I'll be doing everything in my power to help the boys over the line in the next two weeks." Brimmer believed this match up was fate. "I think it's written. It's no coincidence that Victory won I think they've been a great team as well and they rightly deserved to win that game against Western Sydney but we've been the benchmark all year and we'll show that this week." Nando Pijnaker of Auckland FC after scoring against the Brisbane Roar. Photo: Photosport The semi-final is being described as a meeting of the competition's best defensive players from Auckland FC against the league's best attacking power from Melbourne Victory. Victory left-back Kasey Bos has scored three times in his last three games and combine that with Zinedine Machach, Nishan Velupillay and young Australian Daniel Arzani and the home side will have plenty to challenge Auckland's goal with. But Auckland has built a bit of a wall at the back this season with one of the competition's best goalkeepers Alex Paulsen, who has kept the most clean sheets of an keeper this season, with captain Hiroki Sakai, Nando Pijnaker, Dan Hall and Francis De Vries in front of him. Corica said football games were won by what happened in the two 18-yard boxes and he did not expect it to be any different on Saturday. "We want to try and keep another clean sheet against them, if we can do that that would be wonderful, and I think we will have chances and they will probably have a couple of chances as well and it will just depend on who takes the chances at the right time. "If we defend well down one end and we go really well in the attacking side of things and take out chances when they come we've got a big chance of winning again." Alex Paulsen of Auckland FC celebrates a goal. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ On average this season Auckland FC has put out the second oldest starting side at 27 years and 223 days old. Melbourne Victory's average starting 11 was the third oldest across the competition at 27 years and 206 days old. Corica used 23 different players this season and Victory used 22 players. Both Auckland and Victory have had 13 different goal scorers. The semi-final opponents have similar disciplinary records, with Auckland players getting 40 yellow cards and Victory 39 yellows. Both sides have had two straight red cards. Auckland conceded nine fewer goals than Victory in the regular season and scored five more. The first time Auckland and Victory played on New Years Day it was a 0-0 draw. The second time they played on 19 April it was a 2-0 win to Auckland. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Auckland beat Brisbane to close on ALM premiership
A-League Men leaders Auckland FC have taken another step towards claiming the premiership plate after scrapping out a 2-0 win over Brisbane. Auckland had been held to three draws ahead of the international break, when several of their players sealed World Cup qualification with New Zealand. But Nando Pijnaker's header in first-half stoppage time delivered the lead, with Hiroki Sakai's 83rd-minute goal ensuring a seven-point buffer on second-placed Western United with three games to play. Auckland (45 points) are well clear of the chasing pack: Western United (38), Melbourne City (37), Melbourne Victory (36) and Western Sydney (35). Auckland and Western United face off in the final round, but Steve Corica's charges will hope the race for the premiership is settled well before then. On a patchy, cut-up Suncorp Stadium pitch, in front of a sparse crowd, it was Brisbane with the better of the early chances. Auckland goalkeeper Alex Paulsen was called into action to bat away Jay O'Shea's strike in the 10th minute, then got down low with a reflex save to stop a goalmouth scramble crossing the line. Exciting youngster Jacob Brazete danced through the Auckland defence and fired a tame shot at Paulsen on the half-hour mark. Auckland took the lead with the final play of the opening half. Dan Hall slipped the ball out wide for Louis Verstraete, who whipped a cross in from the right. Pijnaker leapt at the near post and directed a thumping header home. Paulsen spilt a free kick from O'Shea in the 59th minute but was able to grab Hosine Bility's follow-up header from close range. The Auckland goalkeeper batted away another strike from O'Shea in the 65th minute. Sakai thought he'd doubled Auckland's lead in the 83rd minute but Logan Rogerson was ruled to be offside in the build-up. But after a VAR review, it was determined Rogerson had not been offside and the goal was awarded. Wait for Hiroki Sakai's reaction 😅After initially being ruled out for offside, the @fc_auckland skipper gets his goal to seal the win!Listen as referee Alireza Faghani reverses the decision via Live VAR 🎥🎙️#BRIvAKL — Isuzu UTE A-League (@aleaguemen) March 30, 2025 Ruben Zadkovich's second-last Brisbane, who have won just one of their past seven games, remain ahead of Perth on goal difference. Auckland host Western Sydney next Saturday while Brisbane have a tight turnaround to play Macarthur at home on Friday.
