Advantage Auckland FC in A-League semi
- NZ Sports Wire
- May 18
- 3 min read
Auckland FC will return to New Zealand with a slender A-League semifinal advantage after defeating the Melbourne Victory 1-0 in a first-leg battle.
New Zealand internationals Francis De Vries and Logan Rogerson combined for Auckland’s decisive second-half goal at AAMI Park on Saturday night, set up by the former and finished by the latter in the 64th minute.
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Rogerson’s header proved the difference at a rain-swept AAMI Park as the Black Knights kept a clean sheet in the club’s first-ever playoffs fixture to take a one-goal advantage back to Auckland for next Saturday’s return leg at Go Media Stadium Mt Smart.
The Victory were without injured club captain Roderick Miranda for Saturday’s match. The experienced defender suffered a leg injury in training on Friday and was replaced by Brendan Hamill in the centre of defence, who suffered an apparent knee injury in the second half and was replaced by young defender Josh Rawlins off the bench.
Victory head coach Arthur Diles will be eager to receive a prognosis on the injuries to both Miranda and Hamill ahead of next Saturday’s return leg.
Down but not out of the semifinal tie, the Victory will travel to Auckland with a one-goal deficit that could have been doubled in the final minute of added-time, when a Neyder Moreno shot hit both posts before finding its way into the gloves of Victory keeper Jack Duncan.
By the 30-minute mark, both teams had taken six shots on goal each in a frenetic start to the game under heavy rainfall in the Victorian capital.
Ryan Teague and Nikos Vergos threatened early, before a Daniel Arzani strike was deflected away from goal by Auckland defender Nando Pijnaker.
Down the other end, Jesse Randall threatened with a blocked shot that fell to Guillermo May at the back post; the Uruguayan’s header was on target but Jack Duncan made a leaping save to scoop the ball off the goal line – questions over whether the ball had crossed the line were quickly waved away once the offside flag was raised.
Young Victory midfielder Jordi Valadon then fired just wide of the top-left corner from outside the box; it would have been his first goal in the A-League.
The attacking action continued as Auckland midfielder Felipe Gallegos fired an attempt on goal, Marlee Francois looked to flick the ball on its way toward the target, and Victory’s defensive line stood and watched as it rolled just wide of the bottom-right corner.
The second half began much like the first, as Randall fired a curling strike wide of the target four minutes after the restart.
Fifty-six minutes into the contest, disaster struck for Victory and matchday captain Hamill. He suffered what looked to be a right knee injury while jostling for possession in defence.
The Victory had a penalty shout waved away on the hour mark when an Arzani shot hit the arm of Pijnaker in the box, but soon after came a glorious chance for the hosts to take the lead when Rawlins, who came off the bench to replace Hamill, was denied in the six-yard box by a diving intervention from Auckland keeper Alex Paulsen.
Paulsen’s desperate intervention proved crucial, coming just minutes before Rogerson broke the deadlock with an unmarked header.
Picked out by a signature De Vries cross off the left wing, Victory left-back Kasey Bos was caught ball-watching as Rogerson skipped ahead of him in the queue to fire Auckland into the lead.
Hearts were in mouths for Victory in the final minute of extra-time as Moreno received a late opportunity to put Auckland two goals clear. The Colombian fired a low strike toward the bottom-left corner but the ball struck one post, and then the other before landing in the lap of Duncan.
Auckland FC 1 (Logan Rogerson 64') Melbourne Victory 0. HT: 0-0
