Auckland FC and Adelaide United square off for a spot in the A-League final. Photo / Photosport
Dreams can come true – even against all the odds.
Forced to take the long road and the most difficult path, Auckland FC are into the A-League grand final, after an unbelievable night in South Australia on Friday. It was achieved by one of their greatest performances – maybe their best – with a remarkable 3-0 win over Adelaide United.
Playing at arguably the toughest venue in the A-League, Auckland FC stunned the Coopers Stadium faithful with a performance of grit, heart, belief - and no little skill.
A bullet header from Jake Girdwood-Reich just before halftime opened the scoring before a Sam Cosgrove penalty extended their lead in the 58th minute. Adelaide threw the kitchen sink from there but Auckland FC were resolute and resilient, before a Logan Rogerson goal sealed the result with five minutes to play.
It was a wonderful effort. Captain Hiroki Sakai set the tone, while Cam Howieson and Louis Verstraete were superb in the middle of the park. But everyone performed and the key was the defensive effort, a ‘thou shall not pass’ attitude from the men in white, while keeper Michael Woud made a match-turning save early in the second half with the score at 1-0.
By the end, Adelaide had nothing left to give, outplayed, out-thought and out-fought. It was also a triumph for Steve Corica and his coaching team, given the challenges of the past few weeks. The expansion club will face Newcastle or Sydney FC next week – and will host the match if the Sky Blues progress.
On such a big occasion, Corica reverted to a back five, with Nando Pijnaker introduced centrally and Callan Elliot retained on the left flank.
There were two early scares for the visitors. The first came when Anselmo De Moraes didn’t make the most of delicious far post cross, the second when Sakai was booked after four minutes as dangerman Yaya Dukuly got away.
But from there, Auckland settled, urgent with their press and sharp in the tackle. Adealaide keeper Josh Smits managed a huge save from Cosgrove – though there was an offside earlier in the phase – before Jesse Randall cut inside to test him on the angle.
The home side were forced into a change after 23 minutes, with burly striker De Moraes off with injury, with Luka Jovanović brought on earlier than expected. That changed Adelaide’s approach – with no target man – and Auckland were able to profit, gradually shifting the momentum in their favour.
Sakai was fired up, celebrating winning a throw with fist pumps, while the visitors hunted and harassed in midfield. Brook was unlucky, hitting the post from 10 metres in the 32nd minute, after reacting quickest to a long throw from Sakai. The captain was key to the first goal, with a vicious driven shot to win the corner.
Brook’s deliver was spot on – and so was Girdwood-Reich’s run, as he looped back towards the near post to power home the header. It was a deserved lead, though Auckland almost gave it up immediately, with Jonny Yull just wide from distance, after a defensive lapse. Adelaide were reinvigorated after the break, as Auckland had to absorb a lot of pressure, with the home side dominating possession and territory.
Woud made a vital save in the 50th minute, with a crucial left hand to deny Ryan White, when the midfielder looked favourite to score from a fast break. Soon afterwards, Yull shot over the crossbar, after Callan Elliot had made a vital block.
Then came Cosgrove’s moment, cleverly getting across his marker Panagiotis Kikianis to win the spot kick after Sakai’s intelligent cross. His attempt – straight down the middle – caught the trailing foot of Smit, then squeezed over the line, as the striker ran to celebrate in front of the home support.
Adelaide redoubled their efforts but Auckland soaked up everything, constantly where they needed to be in their defensive third. And they had chances on the counter, with Randall and Brook getting away, before Rogerson’s moment, swooping at the far post to tuck in an inch-perfect cross from Randall.
Adelaide United 0
Auckland FC 3 (Jake Girdwood-Reich 44, Sam Cosgrove 58, Logan Rogerson 86)
Halftime 1-0