Match Report: Auckland FC 0 – 0 Wellington Phoenix

Derby Stalemate. This was a game Auckland FC controlled for long stretches, with the lion’s share of the ball and plenty of attempts on goal, but a disciplined Wellington Phoenix side dug in and would not be broken.

Our winning run against the Phoenix comes to an end, yet the unbeaten derby record stays intact, and the back line made sure there was no way through at the other end either.

FIRST HALF

Auckland FC lined up in a 4-2-3-1 at Go Media Stadium, with Michael Woud in goal, a back four of Francis de Vries, Nando Pijnaker, Ronan Wynne and Hiroki Sakai, and Luis Felipe Gallegos and Daniel Normann at the base of midfield. Logan Rogerson, Lachlan Bayliss and Callan Elliot sat behind Sam Cosgrove, while Wellington Phoenix went 4-4-2 with Rafael Durán and Corban Piper up top.

The hosts looked to take control of the ball early, and the first real sight of goal came just past the 10-minute mark when Gallegos tried his luck from distance, only for it to be blocked. Wellington answered almost immediately, Kazuki Nagasawa dragging a left-footed effort wide from the centre of the box.

Auckland kept probing. Cosgrove had a goal-bound shot blocked by Bill Tuiloma, Bayliss sent one too high from range just before the half-hour, and the best of the early chances came moments later when Elliot’s strike from outside the box, set up by Rogerson, was gathered by Henry Gray in the Wellington goal.

The Phoenix sat compact and grew into the half around the half-hour mark. Bryce Duke had a header blocked, and then a shot wide from the resulting corner, and Durán’s effort from the centre of the box was saved by Woud. The response was immediate, de Vries curling a direct free kick just over the bar.

Bayliss went close again in the 36th minute, shooting wide from the centre of the box after a Sakai cross. Wellington finished with a flurry as Cosgrove blocked a Duke strike, Woud denied Tuiloma’s header, and Pijnaker got in the way of Durán’s shot. It was all square at the break, 0-0.

SECOND HALF

Auckland came out after the break on the front foot. Pijnaker sent a right-footed effort wide from a set piece in the 54th minute, Wynne’s follow-up from a tight angle was blocked by Alex Rufer, and Cosgrove drew a save from Gray just after the hour after a through ball from Bayliss.

The pressure kept building. Cosgrove’s shot from the right side of the box flew just past the top corner, Rogerson headed wide from a de Vries cross, and Cosgrove then had a shot blocked before glancing a header from inside the six-yard box wide of the left post from a corner. Wellington’s only reply in that spell was a Durán shot wide, before Riley Bidois replaced him in the 73rd minute.

Elliot had to come off injured with just over 10 minutes to play, and Lachlan Brook came on in his place. He tested Gray almost straight away with a right-footed shot from the right side of the box that the Phoenix keeper held.

Tempers rose late on. Cosgrove was booked for a foul in the 82nd minute, and two minutes later Brook and Piper were both shown yellow cards after an argument. Rufer fired over from a corner at the other end, and Isa Prins replaced Bayliss in the 88th minute to give us fresh legs for the closing stages.

Auckland threw everything at it. Gallegos was blocked, Brook shot wide from a de Vries cross after a corner, and Rogerson missed from close range from a Brook delivery early in the five added minutes. Rufer was booked for a foul on Brook, Cosgrove headed wide deep into stoppage time, and Wellington saw it out at 0-0.

FULL TIME

A point apiece at Go Media Stadium, and an honest one to reflect on. Auckland FC had 59.3% of the possession and outshot Wellington Phoenix 18 to 9, with three shots on target to the visitors’ two and seven corners to three, but Henry Gray made three saves and the Phoenix dug in, so the front foot we played on never turned into a goal. Michael Woud, with two saves of his own, and the back four in front of him kept the clean sheet, and that platform is something to build on. It is the first time Wellington have avoided defeat against us after six wins from six, yet we are now unbeaten in seven against the Phoenix and the derby record stands.

Credit to Wellington for their resilience. They held firm under pressure, saw out the stoppage time and left with a third straight clean sheet and their unbeaten run extended to four. For us it is a third game without a win, but for a young side still writing its story, this one is about the next step: the control and the volume of chances were there, and the finishing is what turns a point into three. There was belief in how we went about it, and if we keep creating at this rate, the goals will come.

MATCH DETAILS

Next match

Next up, Auckland FC host Melbourne Victory at Go Media Stadium on Saturday 21 November, with kick-off at 5:00pm, as we look to turn this derby performance into three points and stay inside the top six.