Auckland FC evoke spirit of Rocky and Remember the Titans in epic A-League victory
The underdog spirit of Rocky. The pure grit of Any Given Sunday. The team spirit from Remember the Titans. And the street smarts and hustle from The Colour of Money.
If you are going to try to sum up Auckland FC’s remarkable 3-0 win over Adelaide United in their A-League semi-final second leg, you almost have to go to Hollywood to find the superlatives. That’s how good it was. In years from now people will see the scoreline and be impressed, but there is much more underneath it.
This was the ultimate team performance. It wasn’t just one of Auckland’s best wins, this was the one of the greatest displays in A-League history. Consider the context. Adelaide were on a hot run, having lost just one of their past 17 matches. They were also playing in their Coopers Stadium cauldron, considered the toughest away venue in the league.
Auckland had been struggling for confidence and cohesion and their only win in the previous two months had come via a penalty shootout. They had been hard hit by injury, with their in form striker Guillermo May the latest casualty. Consequently, they were considerable underdogs coming into this match.
Sure, they had experience and are a close-knit bunch – but would that be enough against the free-flowing Reds? The most optimistic Auckland FC fans would have still backed their team to scrape through – maybe via extra time – but no one expected this.
It was 96 minutes of courage and control, passion and precision. Adelaide had their moments – and were on top for the first quarter of an hour – but towards the end looked completely out of ideas, physically and mentally beaten. The key was Auckland’s hunger – to win the second ball, to make the tackle, to block the shot and to push and press, compressing the space.
“The first 15 minutes they were on top, until we got to the pace of the game,” said Auckland FC coach Steve Corica. “And then from then on, we were all over them. We defended really well, we set up well, the boys were animals really, they were outstanding defensively.”
And not for the first time, Auckland thrived on being given little chance, while Adelaide couldn’t deal with the occasion or the expectation.
“It was a very big talk that we had this week leading into the game,” said Corica. “Obviously we knew everyone wrote us off, so that was motivation. We knew what we had in the changing room. We’ve had our fair share of injuries and we still have. But we showed the depth in the squad.”
Now Auckland can look forward to an A-League Grand Final next Saturday. They have taken the hardest route, via an elimination final penalty shootout, then having to overcome an in-form Adelaide across two legs but might be hard to stop now. They will face either Newcastle Jets or Sydney FC, with the match in Auckland if the Sky Blues upset the Premiers on Saturday night.
“Obviously it would be very nice to be playing at home in a grand final but that’s not our choice at the moment,” said Corica.
Friday was Auckland’s most complete performance of the season. At the most important time, everyone turned up. Wing Jesse Randall had his best game in weeks, his pace a constant threat. Lachlan Brook mixed wizardry with work rate and provided the precise corner delivery for the crucial first goal, an emphatic header by the underrated Jake Girdwood-Reich just before halftime.
Captain Hiroki Sakai was an inspiration and played a key role in the first two goals, while Callan Elliot was defensively relentless as the other wing back. Dan Hall shackled every offensive threat – and made some key blocks – while recent return Nando Pijnaker, still getting back to match fitness was urgent on defence and set Randall free for the third goal – scored by substitute Logan Rogerson – with a trademark raking pass.
Centre midfielder Cam Howieson has surely never had a better match for Auckland FC, so effective on both sides of the ball, Beside him Louis Verstraete underlined his status as one of the best in the A-League. Goalkeeper Michael Woud was secure and came up big with his improbable save in the 50th minute to prevent an Adelaide equaliser, which was a match-turning moment.
And then there was Sam Cosgrove. The English striker, playing with a busted ankle, threw himself about, soaked up physical punishment and had the wherewithal to win and convert the penalty for the second goal after 58 minutes, while also managing to wind up most of the 16,000 strong capacity crowd.
“We learned our lessons from [last season],” said Corica. “Our first year in a semi-final and we lost. Obviously we took our chances [on Friday] at the right times, and that’s football. We defended our box and we scored down the other end, so that’s where everything happens.”
In terms of New Zealand sport, it couldn’t have been scripted any better. Coach Herman Boone and his Titans, Rocky Balboa, coach Tony D’Amato and his Miami Sharks and Fast Eddie Felson would have been proud.
Michael Burgess has been a Sports Journalist for the New Zealand Herald since 2005, covering the Olympics, Fifa World Cups, and America’s Cup campaigns. He is a co-host of the Big League podcast.