Auckland City FC win OFC League title again
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Second half goals from Ryan De Vries and Matt Ellis ensured Auckland City a fifth successive OFC Men’s Champions League title, and a fourteenth overall.
The defending champions defeated Central Coast FC 2-0 in the Final played at 4R Govind Park in Ba, Fiji.
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Central Coast FC fired the first shot in anger of the final, a Barrie Limoki shot from range being comfortably dealt with by Matthew Foord, but it was Auckland City who dictated the early pace and were unfortunate to see an Ellis strike ruled out for a marginal offside decision.
The Solomon Islanders, only the third team from their country to play in an OFC Men’s Champions League Final, settled into their stride with the livewire Rafa Lea’i, scorer of a semi-final hat-trick, beginning to cause problems for the New Zealanders defence.
Lea’i’s electric acceleration and superb close control proved to be a nightmare for the Auckland City defensive unit, but City had stars of their own with prolific forward De Vries denied by a smart block at his near post by Central Coast FC goalkeeper Erick Wanega.
Despite the wealth of talent on the pitch, clear cut opportunities were at a premium, with the sporadic set-piece most likely to be the cause of breaking the deadlock inside an evenly matched opening forty-five minutes of the contest.
The pattern of the second half was akin to the first, neither team able to wrestle control of the fixture. Indeed, it took until the hour mark for anything much of note, Michal Doudera going down inside the penalty area to vociferous appeals from the Auckland City contingent, the officials deeming the challenge fair.
Central Coast FC’s attacking trio of Lea’i, Limoki, and Bobby Leslie continued to work hard, their industrious running stretching the Auckland City defence, while Ellis was impressive in fashioning City’s best openings, one jinking run leading to a corner from which centre-back Nathan Rostron headed over.
Auckland City finally made the breakthrough with a little over twenty minutes remaining. The architect was midfielder Michael De Heijer who won a loose ball in midfield and found Doudera at the top right of the penalty area. His fierce low drive proved too hot to handle for Wanega, who could only parry into the path of De Vries who tapped home.
City almost added a second shortly afterwards, Christian Gray heading over from close range after captain Mario Ilich had nodded a corner back into the danger area, but the crucial second goal would duly arrive only nine minutes after the first.
The substitute, Ryan Watson, played a pivotal role, bursting away down the right flank and cutting infield along the by-line before picking out a perfect ball across the top of the six-yard box, that took out goalkeeper Wanega, allowing Ellis to slide it into the gaping goal for 2-0.
Central Coast FC’s hopes of a comeback were dealt a further blow in the 83rd minute when Prince Tahunipue was shown a straight red card for his part in a confrontation close to the halfway line.
Auckland City: 2 (Ryan DE VRIES 69’, Matt ELLIS 78’)
Central Coast FC: 0
HT: 0-0
