Auckland captain Ivan Vicelich clarifies matters with officials at halftime.
It wasn't a case of if but when Auckland City were going to snap out of their big-time blues.
Regrettably that happened yesterday as the Ramon Tribulietx-coached Fifa Club World Cup upstarts ground down Hawke's Bay United to a 3-0 defeat in Napier.
It's not that the Ivan Vicelich-captained Navy Blues had it all their way, after a scoreless first half.
The Brett Angell-coached Bay United had their share of opportunities to ignite the game at the Bluewater Stadium but came up short.
Angell's men got on the front foot but almost always the likes of Sean Lovemore, Saul Halpin, Facundo Barbero, Alex Palezevic and Viktor Lekaj took a touch too many or opted to take on 3-4 shirts when unmarked teammates were begging for passes.
Captain Ross Haviland and his men also sat back too deep at times and almost resigned themselves to letting the Auckland midfield dictate terms, content on chasing shadows.
One could be forgiven for thinking the hosts had an itching mindset to post snippets on social media of how they got around Vicelich and his defenders.
Auckland striker Ryan de Vries oozed pedigree, his prowess more pronounced than what it seemed to be on TV in Morocco.
The Bay defenders couldn't stop the adroit South African foraging at will.
David Browne, Emiliano Tade, Fabrizio Tavano and Sam Burfoot weren't too far off in adding to an engine room that patiently took control and grew in confidence on a balmy day.
The referee appeared to be mollycoddling the city slickers - a ritual often reserved for young teams such as Wellington Phoenix Reserves and Wanderers Soccer Club - whose coach had pre-match impressed how his men were trying to adapt to the physicality in the ASB Premiership.
"It's becoming embarrassing," an incensed Angell screamed at the whistle blower despite repeatedly receiving warnings to remain in his seat throughout the game.
To make a point, the 67th-minute free kick to De Vries was soft as the Auckland striker ran into Lekaj already sliding on the ground with the ball at his feet.
Not surprisingly, in the 72nd minute, a yellow card to Payne for a blatant foul as Bay counterattacked drew a facetious cheer.
Vicelich agreed the Bay were tough after a midweek game and time off during the Christmas break.
"We were a little rusty but we're getting back into it. We played some good football today but we definitely had to work hard for a victory."
To play in front of big crowds then rock down to sparse venues did pose mental hurdles for the visitors.
"But this is reality for us because we need to win games in New Zealand ... the competition's getting more and more difficult every year."
Realising they are big guns and everyone wants to shoot them down, the Fifa cup's bronze player said they needed to adopt the right attitude in every outing, thanking fans throughout the country for their support.
"It [physicality] is different in other parts of the word but this is bread and butter for us so I was really happy with the way we played," he said happy to get on the scoresheet in the 76th minute from a subtle header after Tade gave them the lead in the 50th minute from a penalty kick that ricocheted off the crossbar and into the net.
The ref pinged Bay keeper Joshua Hill for taking out Browne in the 18m box but you more often than not see a free kick go the other way.
The final nail in 80th minute came from Burfoot drilling the ball from the top of the 18m box from a deft Tavano cross with the Bay devoid of passion.
Angell said Auckland dominated but he felt the penalty and the second soft goal changed the tone of the game.
"We didn't really execute the final decision. Too often we gave the ball away too cheaply," he said, putting it down to age.
His predominantly young men gave him their everything but lacked consistency.
"Some of that's down to trying to win the ball but we didn't take care of the ball often enough."
He was loath to point a finger at the officiating, saying he himself was animated at times but the ref "pulled his yellow card out a lot quicker for us than he did on their side".
"He sees what he sees and gives what he gives," he said, not sure if Hill made contact with Browne.
Midfielder Ryan Tinsley was out serving a match suspension and Mario Alberto Barcia will emulate him this Sunday away against Team Wellington.