Auckland FC have won their first A-League Men championship title after defeating all-time record-holders Sydney FC 1-0 in front of a record crowd in Auckland on Saturday night.
A single, serendipitous goal to the club’s first signing, Cameron Howieson, in the 60th minute was enough to lift the Black Knights to their second trophy in two seasons. Rubbing salt in the Sky Blues’ wounds was club great Steve Corica becoming the first coach to win three championships in the competition, making history against his old side.
Having lifted last season’s premiers plate in their inaugural campaign but missing out on a spot in the decider, Auckland became the first New Zealand club to host an A-Leagues grand final on Saturday at a thunderous Go Media Stadium.
The sell-out crowd proved the ravenous appetite for professional football across the ditch, with 28,374 fans – including a strong and boisterous bay of Sydney supporters – creating an electric atmosphere.
As the two most defensively sound sides in the league, with Sydney conceding the fewest goals in the regular season followed closely by Auckland, the match was expected to be a tight affair; a tug-of-war played out largely in midfield, with golden moments few and far between.
And so the first half unfolded as Sydney’s possession-dominant style was regularly interrupted and neutralised by Auckland’s physical press and duel domination.
The Sky Blues, revived under new coach Patrick Kisnorbo – who signed a three-year contract earlier this week after taking the team on a seven-match unbeaten streak – struggled to string more than two passes together in attacking phases, especially through midfield and up front.
Forced by Auckland’s press into hopeful long balls and flick-ons, the visitors crashed up against the Black Knights’ solid defensive wall again and again, registering just one shot in the entire first 45 minutes.
Down the other end, golden boot co-winner Sam Cosgrove was well marshalled by Sydney’s centre-backs, but used his height and physicality to cause problems including having a possible penalty waved away by Alex King after Sky Blues defender Alex Popovic clattered him into the grass.
With most other attacking avenues neutralised, Auckland’s first half was defined largely by breakout star Jesse Randall, who regularly got the better of Sydney captain Rhyan Grant down the left wing. But he met his match in goalkeeper Harrison Devenish-Meares, who flung himself acrobatically around to catch and punch the young New Zealander’s twisting shots and crosses.
Indeed, the A-Leagues goalkeeper of the year entered half-time as the highest-rated player by the broadcaster’s own index, despite a gasp-inducing pass into pressure in the 27th minute that could have ended in disaster were it not for the harrying – and lucky – Wataru Kamijo throwing himself into the grass and scooping the ball to safety.
After an arm-wrestling first half, Auckland in particular came out of the sheds with fire in their lungs, earning two quick yellow cards within the opening 15 minutes of the second period.
The most dangerous, a stomp by Dan Hall on 17-year-old Akol Akon – who became the youngest player to start an A-League Men grand final – saw Sydney win a free kick near the top of Auckland’s penalty area. But the Sky Blues couldn’t capitalise as Ben Garuccio sent his shot over the crossbar and one of their better chances of the night went to waste.
The home side’s buffeting attacking energy finally paid off just on the hour when a characteristic long throw by Auckland – the most dangerous team this season from the sidelines – was poorly cleared by Sydney.
After ping-ponging around the top of the box, midfielder Howieson – who was playing semi-professional football when Auckland joined the competition two years ago – swung a hopeful foot through the ball.
The strike, sent with a prayer towards a forest of shins, clanged off the heel of Sydney centre-back Jordan Courtney-Perkins before spinning over Devenish-Meares and into the net, blessing Howieson with his first goal and gifting Auckland a lead.
Instead of sitting back and defending their precious goal, the Black Knights continued to suffocate Sydney, clipping and crossing more deadly balls in and around the box, with Louis Verstraete fizzing a strike just wide of the far post four minutes after the restart.
Kisnorbo tried to inject new life into his side 10 minutes later, making three changes in a short period, taking off the creative Tiago Quintal, who appeared to suffer from a poke in the eye, alongside Piero Quispe and Akon, and bringing on Victor Campuzano, Pat Wood, and veteran Joe Lolley, possibly for the last game of his career.
Corica responded in kind, shoring up his side with Francis De Vries and Logan Rogerson in place of Lachlan Brook and Callan Elliot. Sydney almost pounced on the new energy first as Campuzano raced through Auckland’s back line in the 80th minute to try to capitalise on a swirling aerial ball, only to be beaten to the punch by goalkeeper Michael Woud.
Auckland could have extended their lead moments later after Randall found himself sprinting in behind Sydney’s backline on to a long ball before tearing into the left side of the box. Cutting the ball on to his right foot, with only Devenish-Meares to beat, he skied his shot over the crossbar and buried his face in his hands.
Sydney almost made him pay for his miss two minutes later as Lolley clipped a delightful cross into the area for the barrelling Grant to connect with, but the captain flicked his header on to the roof of the net.
Howieson was awarded player of the match for what felt like a goal of destiny, and with two trophies in their first two seasons, the Black Knights have stamped their authority and identity on a league that finishes its 21st season in desperate need of both.
