On Wednesday morning, Auckland City FC defender Christian Gray carved his name in New Zealand football history.
At the same time, he stepped out of a large shadow. It probably wasn’t always easy growing up for Gray, the son of not one but two famous Kiwi sporting identities, as his father is former All Whites captain Rodger Gray and his mother legendary Silver Ferns netballer Sandra Edge.
But now the 28-year-old trainee teacher has made his own indelible mark, with the goal that earned Auckland City a shock 1-1 draw with South American giants Boca Juniors at the Fifa Club World Cup. It was a fantastically unexpected result for the amateur squad, off the back of the previous heavy 10-0 and 6-0 defeats to Bayern Munich and Benfica. This kind of thing just doesn’t happen in sport – but it has – and will be remembered for a long time.
“It’s probably still sinking in,” Gray told the Herald, as the team bus headed back to their Nashville hotel. “I’m so happy for the club, for the boys, for everyone involved.”
The result defied massive odds. Boca Juniors are more than a club, they are a footballing institution, who boasted Diego Maradona in his pomp and are six-time Copa Libertadores champions.
But they couldn’t overcome Auckland City, who defended superbly while also earning some luck, with the Argentine giants hitting the crossbar twice in the first half. Boca Juniors had gone ahead in the 26th minute – after an unfortunate rebound off Auckland City goalkeeper Nathan Garrow – before Gray’s magic moment in the 52nd minute, with a thumping header from their first corner.
“We’ve done well to win the corner initially,” recalled Gray, who studies at the University of Waikato. “It’s actually something we practiced at training [the day before], when I scored a similar goal from a Jerson Lagos delivery. I had an idea where he’d put it, it was an out-swinger, and he put [it] on a plate for me, to be honest. [Then a] bit of instinct ... and I can’t really remember.”
Auckland had a couple of half chances earlier but Gray knew the set piece could be their now-or-never moment.
“We’ve got boys who are good in the air,” he said. “So if we get a half-decent delivery, we can make something out of it. So when we got a corner, the boys’ eyes lit up a little bit.”
The moment unfolded in front of the massed bank of Boca fans and Gray wasn’t quite sure how to celebrate.
“It’s funny because [at breakfast] we were talking about celebrations but I don’t score many goals,” he said. “So it was little bit unusual.”
From there, in 35C heat, Auckland City had to hang on. There was an unexpected turn minutes later, with the match halted due to nearby thunderstorms and lightning. The Sandringham-based side had struggled with a similar weather break against Benfica but were determined to prosper this time.
“It was a chance to regroup,” said Gray. “The mentality was, stay calm, and when we do eventually go back out, we have 35 minutes to make history.”
Play resumed after a 40-minute break, with Boca Juniors throwing everything at the part timers. But Auckland City held, compact and resolute, with Gray part of an impressive central back three beside Nikko Boxall and Adam Mitchell.
“We knew what was coming,” Gray said. “We had to embrace it and trust our work and the training we’ve done. We knew if we were in the right positions, it’ll be hard for them.”
There were tight moments – but not that many – with 20-year-old Garrow a confident presence in goal.
“He’s stepped up,” observed Gray. ”He hasn’t let the occasion get to him.”
Auckland had another late corner, then had to defend a Boca counter before the Swedish referee blew the final whistle in the 97th minute.
“There were a lot of emotions,” Gray said. “For me it was relief, just a relief.”
It was an unforgettable day for Gray, who is also a student teacher at Auckland Grammar School and assistant First XI coach, as he had battled with the likes of Uruguayan legend Edinson Cavani, who has starred for Napoli, Paris St Germain and Manchester United and been the subject of $165 million in career transfer fees.
Gray, who played for Waitākere United, Hamilton Wanderers, Birkenhead and Eastern Suburbs before he joined Auckland City in January 2022, said: “It’s surreal ... These guys are massive names and we are from little old New Zealand.”
Gray had yet to catch up properly with his parents but said they were “pretty happy”.
Wednesday capped the end of a hectic tournament for Gray, who has been juggling university assignments. A few days before the Benfica match, club general manager Gordon Watson penned a letter to the faculty, requesting an extension for Gray so he could focus on his footballing duties.
“Luckily, I get back and it is school holidays, so I can do my assignments,” Gray said.
Later, there might be plenty of questions from his PE class about his special Nashville moment, just the seventh goal of his 124-match senior career.
“Yeah, I probably should have scored more,” Gray said. “But I’ll take this one.”
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.