Stunning volley keeps Auckland FC’s premiership hopes alive in fiery draw
Saturday, 4 April 2026
At Coopers Stadium, Adelaide: Adelaide United 1 (Ethan Alagich 25’) Auckland FC 1 (Felipe Gallegos 48’). HT: 1-0.
Auckland FC have moved within one win of the A-League Men leaders after Felipe Gallegos’ stunning volley salvaged a 1-1 draw against Adelaide United in a fiery Good Friday clash.
Steve Corica’s side couldn’t fully capitalise on Newcastle’s slip-up against Macarthur but trimmed the gap to three points, keeping their Premiers Plate defence alive with three rounds remaining.
The match simmered throughout, with eight Auckland players booked – including Guillermo May for a late throat grab on Ethan Alagich.
A melee erupted after returning captain Hiroki Sakai lunged two-footed at Brody Burkitt, prompting the video assistant referee to send Alex King to the sideline monitor.
Replays instead highlighted May’s incident, but it was deemed only unsportsmanlike conduct and punished with a yellow card. Sakai escaped with only a yellow for his wild challenge too.
There was also a heated exchange outside the players tunnel at halftime, with Adelaide’s Juan Muñiz confronting Gallegos over a foul late in the half.
Auckland’s preparations were disrupted before kickoff. Already without ever-present left-back Francis de Vries, they lost goalkeeper Michael Woud to a groin injury in the warm-up, handing an unexpected debut to mid-season emergency signing James Hilton.
The 23-year-old joined Auckland from the Marconi Stallions in February when Oli Sail suffered a season-ending knee injury in his lone start.
Hilton had one shaky moment, fumbling a second-half free kick before recovering, but otherwise impressed on debut, finishing with seven saves.
He had no chance in the 25th minute when Alagich reacted quickest to rifle home from distance after players paused amid Adelaide handball appeals.
Jake Girdwood-Reich initially filled in for de Vries but, after an early booking, made way for the returning Sakai.
Right-back Callan Elliot took it upon himself to replace de Vries’ attacking threat, delivering the cross that Gallegos met with a superb left-footed volley shortly after halftime to level the scores – a finish to match the quality of the delivery.
It was the Chilean’s first goal of the season and only his second in 48 appearances for Auckland.
May had Auckland’s best chance to snatch all three points, but his 74th-minute snapshot was saved by Joshua Smits, with Lachlan Brook offside on the follow-up.
It was a surprise May was still on the field at that stage. He took a heavy blow to his head in a collision with Ryan White but, after receiving treatment, was cleared to continue.
Auckland coach Steve Corica confirmed after the game that May had been checked over by their medical team and said he “seems to be OK.”
“The most important thing is there’s nothing wrong with him … but if the doctor clears him, we just continue mate,” Corica said. “First and foremost we don’t want anything to happen to Guillermo. The player is the most important thing, but we got the thumbs up from the physio and the doctor was quite happy for him to continue.”
Brook, back in the starting XI against his former club, endured a tough return to Coopers, missing Auckland’s best first-half chance when he failed to hit the target after cutting inside.
Adelaide looked the more likely winner during 10 minutes of stoppage time, but Hilton stood firm to secure a point – the third draw in four meetings between the sides.
What they said
Auckland coach Steve Corica: “It was end to end and quite aggressive as well, with quite a lot of tackles flying in. It’s what you expect from an important game. It’s a difficult place to come and we’ve picked up a point, so we’re one point closer to Newcastle after their loss last night. In the end I suppose it’s not too bad for us.”
Adelaide coach Airton Andrioli: “We expect a physical game but at the end of the day I think it was one of those games where we had enough chances to win it, it just didn’t fall for us. To me, it was like only one team really wanted to win.”
The big picture
Auckland remain second on the A-League Men table but they have closed the gap to leaders Newcastle Jets to just three points – or one win.
What’s next
Next weekend features two top-four clashes. Auckland return home to host Melbourne Victory at Go Media Stadium, while Adelaide are away to the Jets.