Auckland FC on brink of Premier's Plate
- NZ Sports Wire
- Apr 20
- 2 min read
Auckland FC are on the cusp of a maiden A-League Premiership in their inaugural season after edging Melbourne Victory 2-0 on Saturday night.
Belgian midfielder Louis Verstraete and Uruguayan forward Guillermo May settled the contest at Melbourne's AAMI Park, where high-flying Auckland put one hand on the Premier’s Plate amid their 13-match unbeaten streak and a history-making season at the expense of fifth-placed Victory.
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Also thanks to Alex Paulsen’s breath-taking 85th-minute save to deny Nikos Vergos, Auckland can clinch the Premiership in Round 28, if Melbourne City drop points to Adelaide United on Saturday or AFC beat the Perth Glory on Sunday (kick-off 5pm).
For the Victory, the loss snapped their five-game unbeaten run at home while they are five points clear of seventh-placed Sydney FC.
Socceroos greats Mark Bresciano and Vince Grella were watching from the stands at AAMI Park, where chances were few and far between during a tense opening 45 minutes.
But the match sprung to life in the second half as Auckland threatened. Guillermo May flashed a shot just wide of the post in the 50th minute before a big chance went begging for the visitors just two minutes later.
The Black Knights got their goal just moments later.
It was Verstraete, whose strike from the edge of the box made its way past Mitch Langerak, who appealed that there was an offside Auckland player obstructing his view. However, replays showed he was indeed onside.
Auckland goalkeeper Paulsen produced an incredible save to somehow deny the Victory’s Socceroo Nishan Velupillay from point-blank range but it was offside anyway, not that the Black Knights star knew.
Paulsen was at it again in the 85th minute when the goalkeeper, on loan from Premier League side Bournemouth, somehow got down low to claw away Vergos’ goal-bound header.
Then, Auckland made sure of the points through May in the final minute of regulation to well and truly silence the Victory fans.
Auckland FC 2 (Louis Verstraete 53', Guillermo May 89') Melbourne Victory 0. HT: 0-0
