Auckland FC hold off Wellington Phoenix in Kiwi derby

By Michael Burgess

If you wanted a recipe for the best rivalry in New Zealand sport, this is it.

What a match. What an occasion. What a football revolution.

The short story is that the hosts have maintained their dominance over the Wellington Phoenix, but this was a close-run thing and a gripping encounter.

It was a much better contest than the first derby, with Auckland FC again prevailing, this time with a 2-1 victory.

The longer story is that Auckland went a bit football mad, with scenes of passion, drama and celebration rarely seen here; a record 26,253 crowd creating a cauldron, fuelled by a large contingent of Wellington fans.

Something special is happening, the kind of thing that can only get bigger.

The turning point on Saturday was Issac Hughes’ first-half own goal, which deflated the Phoenix and lifted the Black Knights.

Auckland then looked home after Nando Pijnaker’s headed goal with 20 minutes to play, before Kosta Barbarouses provided hope for the visitors with his 82nd-minute strike.

That led to a brilliant finale as the Phoenix enjoyed their best period of the match but Auckland held on.

The hosts were the dominant team and deserved the result, but Wellington will rue some missed opportunities, as well as the concession of another unfortunate goal.

So Auckland’s winning streak goes on, on top of the table, while the Phoenix will lick their wounds, wondering how they can get closer to the blue and black machine.

Both teams were affected by the occasion but, just like in the capital, the Phoenix struggled to keep their heads at times, which impacted their performance, and the Auckland press was again highly effective.

It had been five weeks since the first derby, time for the simmering rivalry to build even more. The Yellow Fever arrived in impressive numbers, while the Port came with blue flares and plenty of noise.

The stage was set early, with a heavy challenge in the first 30 seconds setting the tone. There was plenty of bite, tackles flying in, in true “mate against mat”’ fashion, epitomised when Barbarouses barrelled into Pijnaker.

After withstanding some early pressure, the Phoenix began to construct some nice moves, though the final pass or move was often tentative like a golfer leaving a putt short of the hole. They left Tim Payne forward – almost as a right winger – to exploit that channel.

Auckland were more threatening, though loose in possession, while they lost midfielder Louis Verstraete – who has been a revelation and their most consistent player – to injury in the 23rd minute.

Auckland goalkeeper Alex Paulsen was a focus for both fanbases and copped some aerial challenges, as Wellington whipped in crosses, though nothing malicious.

Just like in the capital, the first goal was a disaster for the Phoenix. It didn’t quite come out of nowhere but they had looked sharp and were beginning to build some pressure before Sakai got free on the right after a neat move.

Suddenly there was space – way too much space – and the Japanese maestro knew exactly what to do, driving a vicious ball across the face of the goal, which Hughes headed into his own net. It was tough on the young defender, unaware of who might be behind him. It was also an eerie replica of Auckland’s first goal during the last sold-out occasion here, in the inaugural game.

Auckland noticeably lifted, though the Phoenix tried to respond, with a Matt Sheridan shot blocked from their best sequence of the half. But the home side finished the stronger, with Jake Brimmer (twice) and Guillermo May carving out opportunities.

Wellington had to push after the break and Hideki Ishige flashed a shot over the bar, while a Brimmer free kick was just wide.

The Phoenix needed something, introducing Marco Rojas after the hour mark, but struggled to find space in midfield – or a way past the blue defensive wall – often resorting to hopeful diagonal balls, which were rarely threatening.

Auckland then twisted the knife – with Pijnaker’s goal from a deep cross by Sakai sparking wild celebrations. It was a well-placed header but another poor goal to concede in the circumstances.

Wellington’s misery was then compounded by one of the misses of the season, as Sheridan couldn’t find an open net from two metres out – contriving to push it sideways – after a Sam Sutton shot was parried by Paulsen.

Alex Rufer sparked a melee after a confrontation with Luis Toomey but then opened the door to a comeback, setting up Barbarouses with a delightful through ball, before an expert finish from the New Zealand striker. That made for a gripping finale – as Barbarouses and Rojas almost got through again – but Auckland held firm.

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