Out-of-form Auckland FC face elimination final after Adelaide United stun Melbourne City
Monday, 27 April 2026
At Allianz Stadium, Sydney: Sydney FC 2 (Ben Garuccio 56’, Alexandar Popovic 85’) Auckland FC 2 (Guillermo May 67’, 90’). HT: 0-0
Auckland FC had the thrill of scoring a 90th minute equaliser in a 2-2 draw away against Sydney FC on Sunday afternoon.
But they were left facing an elimination final next Saturday after Adelaide United topped that by scoring a stunning 98th-minute winner away to Melbourne City later that evening.
The 2-1 win was Adelaide’s first in Melbourne for more than three years and came after they trailed 1-0 with 11 minutes on the clock.
That result knocked Auckland down from second – where they would have had next weekend off ahead of a home-and-away semifinal and where they had been positioned since early February – to third.
They will now host a shell-shocked City in a win-or-go-home match at 5pm next Saturday evening while Melbourne Victory host Sydney later that night.
Adelaide will join the premiership-winning Newcastle Jets in advancing straight to the semifinals on the weekends of May 9 and 16.
Luka Jovanović scored both of Adelaide's goals to join Auckland striker Sam Cosgrove on 11 and claim a share of the golden boot.
He was shown a second yellow card after taking his top off to celebrate the winner and will miss the first leg of his side’s semifinal.
A foul on City’s goalscorer, Marcus Younis, with 75 seconds of the four added minutes remaining sparked a mass brawl on the sideline.
Play didn’t resume for more than four minutes. The whistle blew for the restart with 97.01 on the clock and after City’s free kick was cleared, Adelaide went straight down the other end and scored exactly 30 seconds later.
Long before that late drama, Guillermo May scored two headed equalisers for Auckland in Sydney, where they never looked like getting the win they needed to secure second place by themselves.
The first came in the 67th minute after Ben Garuccio’s 55th-minute opener, while the second came in the 90th minute, five minutes after Alexandar Popovic put Sydney back in front.
Auckland have had three draws and two losses in their last five matches, picking up just three points from a possible 15.
They had been one point behind the Jets after beating them in Newcastle in their last match prior to that, on March 14, but ended up six points adrift.
Adelaide were seven points back from them at the end of that round, but finished one point ahead.
Auckland’s last two defeats have come at home, where they have also had two draws in four matches since beating City 3-0 in late February.
City have had three wins, a draw and the loss to Adelaide in the same period. Sunday’s defeat was their first in A-League Men since their loss to Auckland seven matches prior.
Auckland are expecting to have centre back Nando Pijnaker back next week, but lost midfielder Felipe Gallegos to a thigh injury in the first half in Sydney.
Coach Steve Corica had been eager for a weekend off ahead of a semifinal to allow injured left back Francis de Vries and midfielder Jake Brimmer to edge closer to returns.
His side will now have to turn around fast after returning to Auckland on Monday.
Their season is suddenly on the line this week, when it looked like having at least another three weeks to go.
If they beat City, Adelaide will be their semifinal opponent, with the home leg first.