At some point the New Zealand derby has got to turn into a rivalry – but it won’t be this season after Auckland FC thrashed the Wellington Phoenix 5-0 in a statement win at Sky Stadium.
Currently, using the rivalry term is preceded by “one-sided” and it will remain so for at least another eight months into next season.
Four goals in the opening half, including a howler by returning Wellington goalkeeper Josh Oluwayemi, meant the Phoenix’s hopes of finally beating their northern opponents was over before halftime. Auckland FC added another to inflict a 5-0 thrashing, Wellington’s worst home defeat. Calling it one-sided might have been kind.
Six games between them and all six have gone the way of Auckland FC. Only one other A-League team (Melbourne Victory over the New Zealand Knights) have won their first six against an opponent. The latest victory means Auckland FC move one point shy of leaders the Newcastle Jets, who play fifth-placed Macarthur tomorrow.
For the first 20 minutes on Saturday the Phoenix seemed to have rattled Auckland FC, who went into the game without Louis Verstraete, a late scratching with a leg injury, while striker Sam Cosgrove was suspended. Logan Rogerson and Guillermo May came in to lead the front with Callan Elliot and Cam Howieson also handed starts.
However, it seemed four changes were too many for Auckland FC as they struggled to find some early cohesion.
Wellington, without veteran All Whites Sarpreet Singh and Tim Payne through injury, enjoyed some time down Auckland FC’s end of the field early but poorly executed throw-ins led to chances wasted. A header over the bar by Carlo Armiento was as close as they got to an opener and leading a derby game for the first time.
It wasn’t as physical as past derbies though Auckland skipper Hiroki Saki went into the book for turning his back into Ifeanyi Eze, which ended up looking worse than it was.
A derby atmosphere was growing but all the air was taken out of the stadium in the space of six minutes.
On the 24-minute mark, Auckland FC defender Jake Girdwood-Reich sent the ball forward 25m out from his own goal. He had no intention of putting the ball in the back of the net but his long hit had enough on it to fool Oluwayemi, who was outside his box and attempted to head it forward, but only managed to get a slight touch before the ball bounced into the empty net. Oluwayemi was credited with an own goal, denying Girdwood-Reich the longest goal in A-League history.
It was an embarrassing moment that took away all the early momentum from the home side. Six minutes later Jesse Randall received the ball wide left from a throw-in and was given too much space before he fired a right-footed strike past two defenders and Oluwayemi for his seventh goal of the season.
Auckland FC’s third was well constructed when a wide run by Howieson put Felipe Gallegos into space before he delivered a cutback pass to May, who was waiting on the penalty spot to finish with his weaker right foot.
Randall added his second just before the break. May sent a through ball behind the Phoenix defence and a chasing Randall chipped it over Oluwayemi with his left foot to make it 4-0.
The Phoenix were booed by a section of fans as they went into the sheds while it got worse for Oluwayemi, who didn’t return for the second half and was replaced by Alby Kelly-Heald.
Credit to the Phoenix, they didn’t surrender and enjoyed some time on the front foot in the second half but again couldn’t convert at the attacking end. Isaac Hughes might have also been lucky to only see yellow for running into the ribs of Michael Woud, who didn’t have much to do in the first half.
Auckland FC eventually added a fifth on the 74th minute when, on the counter, Randall set up substitute Lachlan Brook to fire home from outside the box.
Woud was called upon to make his first save in the 90th minute, which about summed up the day for the Phoenix.