KEY POINTS:
Waitakere United's charge towards the national soccer league semifinals continued with a 2-0 win over Canterbury United in Christchurch today while upsets elsewhere ensured the rest of the top four race remains wide open.
The New Zealand Football Championship defending champions extended their lead at the top of the table to five points.
Waitakere are now eyeing an unprecedented unbeaten season with just three full rounds remaining before the mid-March playoffs begin.
Manawatu leapfrogged Hawke's Bay United into second place on 18 points with a come-from-behind 3-2 victory in Napier, while Waikato scored twice in the final 10 minutes to earn a 3-3 draw with Otago and pull level with Hawke's Bay on 16 points.
Auckland City slip to fifth, one point outside the semifinal spots and just one point ahead of Wellington, whose 3-1 upset over the three-time former champions yesterday put themselves back in playoffs mixer.
Waitakere needed more than an hour to break through a resilient, but now bottom-placed, Canterbury outfit.
Fijian Roy Krishna blazed past through the home side's defence and unleashed an unstoppable shot past Michael O'Keeffe in the 70th minute before completing the scoring with a tidy finish during time added on, as Aucklanders stretched their year-long unbeaten run to 19 matches.
Hawke's Bay were on course to consolidate second spot and add a little breathing room between themselves and Manawatu after a Graham Fyfe penalty and a Seule Soromon header pushed them two goals up inside 20 minutes against Manawatu.
But a goal from Uruguayan Gustavo Saralegui two minutes before the break began a 15min goal-rush from Manawatu, with Cory Chettleburgh equalising 3min after the restart and Saralegui giving the visitors a 58th-minute lead they would not relinquish.
Elsewhere, Steve Holloway scored twice in the final 11min as Waikato fought back from 0-2 down at halftime and 1-3 with 15min remaining to secure a valuable point in Dunedin that keeps them just inside the top four.
The drawn result also lifted Otago off the bottom of the table on goal difference.
Tom Jackson's 11th-minute opener was backed up by Aaron Burgess' superb free kick 2min later as Otago got off to a flying start.
Waikato substitute Nik Robson pulled a goal back after 66min and despite Robbie Deeley's stunning strike 10min later to restore Otago's two-goal cushion, Holloway's double ensured the points were shared.
Wellington continued to walk the top-four tightrope with three second-half goals to beat Auckland City in Auckland.
The league's joint topscorer, Luis Corrales, scored with an acrobatic flick as the game exploded to life in the 75th minute, then turned provider for returning former All White Andy Barron, who thundered Wellington further in front 3min later.
Auckland hit back through captain Ivan Vicelich to set up a tense final 10min but former Auckland winger Bryan Little rounded out a deserved Wellington win with his injury time strike.
In a Waitangi weekend doubleheader that could prove decisive in the playoff race, Auckland are away to Hawke's Bay on Friday and home to Manawatu on Sunday, while Hawke's Bay back up against Canterbury in Christchurch.
Leaders Waitakere also play twice, home to Otago and away to Waikato, while Wellington could sneak into the top four with an away win over Otago.
- NZPA
