Soccer: City manage draw against never-say-die Koloale

A much-improved effort from Solomon Islands champions Koloale FC in holding Auckland City to 2-2 in their second leg O-League final clash at Kiwitea St yesterday was still not enough to stop the New Zealand champions booking their place in Fifa's Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi.

With the odds stacked impossibly against them after losing their home leg 7-2 in Honiara eight days earlier, Koloale had little to play for but refused to ever give up and embarrassed the hosts by taking a 1-0 halftime lead.

The introduction of Keryn Jordan early in the second half quickly turned things around.

A 55th-minute penalty after Grant Young was brought down by a Henry Fa'arodo trip and an easy header from a Ki-Hyung Lee left wing corner three minutes later put City 2-1 ahead and assured Jordan of the O-League Golden Boot with eight goals.

The last say was, deservedly, with the visitors with Lency Saeni volleying home a Fa'arodo cross to the far post for the 61st-minute equaliser.

With a team stacked with players who have played at the Fifa Beach Football tournament, the Solomon Islanders showed some nice touches and good inter-passing. It was a heartening performance but with such an impossible mountain to climb - one they were never going to win.

The home side were flat in the first half, creating little, forcing only two corners and rarely testing diminutive goalkeeper Shadrack Ramoni.

Koloale were rewarded seven minutes before the break when Fa'arodo checked around James Pritchett's attempted tackle before unleashing a shot from outside the penalty area to beat goalkeeper Jacob Spoonley at his near post.

Ironically, in a profile in the match programme, Fa'arodo named Pritchett as "the player I most enjoy playing against".

While happy that his City team, again well led by Ivan Vicelich, had won through for a second shot at the World Club Cup, coach Paul Posa, in his farewell at this level, said it had been a difficult game for his team.

"It was very hard to get them up given the overall position," said Posa.

"Koloale played very well today. In their groove they are very hard to play against. They must have learned from their games - just as we have."

But even with the chance of taking the team to December's big show, Posa was adamant it was his last game with City.

Chairman Ivan Vuksich confirmed they hoped to have a new coach in place by the end of the month before beginning an all-out assault on both the Fifa tournament and the 2009-10 New Zealand Football Championship.