KEY POINTS:
Waitakere United 2 Auckland City 2
Waitakere United enhanced their reputation as chokers by once again throwing away what should have been a match-winning lead over arch-rivals Auckland City in their O-League clash last night.
Cruising at 2-0 after 47 minutes and seemingly on course for a useful advantage in the US$1 million ($1.4 million) race, the home side stunned the Trusts Stadium faithful as they froze, handed the initiative to the visitors and finished the game slumped in a heap contemplating just what could have been. The result was a drawn scoreline.
In the early stages City continued from where they had left off in the Christmas cracker where they came back from 0-3 to win 4-3, but that spark quickly disappeared and they allowed United to play their way back into the game.
Apart from a couple of flashes, key City playmaker Grant Young was hardly sighted as the regimented Waitakere defence gave the visitors little. Chad Coombes had an early half chance for City but pulled wide.
Building from the solid base laid by Rupesh Puna, Danny Hay and George Suri in defence, United made the play.
They had the City defence under constant pressure with central strikers Commins Menapi and Daniel Koprivcic relishing the flow of good ball from Allan Pearce and Prince Quansah on the flanks.
Suri had a header, from a Jeff Campbell corner, headed off the line by Coombes; Campbell had a chance of his own, cleared by Ben Sigmund; and Menapi got clear, drew Ross Nicholson from his line, but his chipped attempt was cleared by Sigmund for a corner.
That pressure was rewarded in the 25th minute when, from the second of two corners in quick succession, Campbell played the ball in, Koprivcic headed on and Hay had the final touch nodding into the City goal.
They continued to press but without further reward before the break.
Keen to build on that decisive advantage, the home side did not have to wait long.
Pearce gathered on the left, broke and fired a cross which Menapi clinically headed home high into the City goal for 2-0 in the 48th minute.
That gave Waitakere added hope but, mindful of what had gone, there an air of apprehension developed. It soon became something much worse.
Left free to gather from Liam Mulrooney, Paul Urlovic, another rarely sighted, set himself and, from the top corner of the penalty area, curled a shot which left goalkeeper Michael Utting rooted to the spot as City closed to within one with 18 minutes to play.
Then, inevitably, came the heartbreaking goal when Neil Sykes played the ball to Young, who buried it in the United goal and raced to join the celebrations.
