"You can't play well every game, and we didn't have one of our best games today, but that's going to happen. We did enough to win the game. Sometimes the collectiveness has to win the game and it happened today."
A first-half penalty miss by Spanish striker Manel Exposito made the defending champions' task more difficult than needed against the Papua New Guinea side, but second-half goals to Exposito and Emiliano Tade proved enough.
"I thought today we defended really well in the second half," Tribulietx said. "The first half, we probably had the game under control with the penalty and a couple of chances. We had took our chances in the second half and then we had to defend."
With the Club World Cup in Japan looming for Auckland, and an opening date with the as-yet unknown J-League champions first up, Ivan Vicelich and the rest of the City defence will need to continue to be at their absolute best.
That is a level Auckland, as a whole, failed to reach on Saturday, but Tribulietx had few complaints following the final whistle.
"I thought it was a good test, because we played against a very good side today, and coming away with three points was good."
The following day, Waitakere lived dangerously in the first half against Fijian champions Ba, before a red card early in the second spell changed the complexion of the game.
It was a stroke of deja vu for Waitakere, whose first O-League fixture was heavily impacted by the dismissal of the Tefana goalkeeper early in the contest. Waitakere ran out 10-0 winners on that occasion, and they found playing against ten men similarly comfortable today (Sunday).
Coach Neil Emblem conceded his side benefited by Fijian referee Norbert Hauata's decision to give Ba winger Marika Robanakadavu his marching orders just two minutes after the break.
"That obviously helped, it was definitely was a turning point," he said. "It was going to be harder for us, we sure wouldn't have scored four goals."
They might not have had three points. Ba experienced an ambivalent first half with numerous gilt-edged opportunities, but each time were denied by either wayward finishing or Waitakere goalkeeper Danny Robinson.
The second half, after the red card, was a different game. An own goal edged the home side in front and a stunning Ross McKenzie free kick doubled the lead, before Chris Bale and Sean Lovemore made the result safe.
Emblem reserved special praise for the thousands of vocal opposing fans, which at times made the fixture feel like it was in Fiji not Whenuapai.
"It is good to see the Fijian community coming out here. Hopefully they enjoyed seeing a few goals flying in but probably into the wrong net."
Waitakere United 4 (Own Goal 56, Ross McKenzie 60, Chris Bale 71, Sean Lovemore 90+3) Ba 0. HT: 0-0.
