Auckland FC drop final regular season game
- Dave Worsley
- 2 hours ago
- 1 min read
Auckland FC's 14-match unbeaten run came to an end in their final A-League regular season fixture, as they fell 4-2 to Western United side in Melbourne.
Having already secured the Premier's Plate Auckland had little to play for as. Western United, pushed hard to take third place.
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Goals from Michael Ruhs and Noah Botic, had the home side cruising at 2-0 before the break.
Auckland coach Steve Corica made changes at half-time in a bid to spark a response, but Angus Thurgate added a third to put John Aloisi's team in complete control.
Eventually Neyder Moreno beat Matt Sutton at his near-post with a sharp strike from a recycled corner to offer some hope.
Substitute Jesse Randall added a late goal after latching onto a long ball and finishing smartly, but any hopes of a dramatic comeback were dashed when Oli Lavale capped off a swift move to seal Western's victory in the dying minutes.
Of note is that Western United beat Auckland FC 4-0 earlier in the season.
Auckland's league-topping finish means a home second leg in the semi-finals 17-18 May and hosting rights for the final, should they progress that far.