Auckland FC made history, becoming the first New Zealand men’s team to make it to a Grand Final with a stunning 3-0 away win in Adelaide.
After arguably putting in the performance of the season, the Black Knights defied the odds and the hostile atmosphere of Coopers Stadium to put in a dominant display that turned doubters into believers.
The win, 4-1 on aggregate, puts the club into next Saturday’s Grand Final and in just their second season. The location and opponents are still to be determined but after the performance against Adelaide, they’ll go into the game with confidence and an eagerness to bring Australia’s biggest domestic football trophy to New Zealand shores.
After a nervy start, which included a Hiroki Sakai yellow card in just the 4th minute, Auckland settled into the tie. Jesse Randall going close, and Lachie Brook hitting the post.Â
Jake Girdwood-Reich, Auckland’s player of the match, then opened the scoring just before half-time with an excellent header off a Lachie Brook corner.
Woud then made a crucial save at the start of the second half, and from then on, it was all Auckland.
Sam Cosgrove stepped up to convert a penalty he won in the 58th minute. The keeper did get his feet to it but it wasn’t enough; the ball trickled over the line, and there was Cosgrove to slam the ball into the back of the net just to be sure.Â
Logan Rogerson came off the bench to put the icing on the cake in the 86th minute. The striker sliding in at the far post to convert a Jesse Randall cross.
A deflated and defeated Adelaide United had little to offer, and the final whistle soon put them out of their misery.
Auckland FC go one step further than they did last season and will face either Newcastle Jets or Sydney FC in Saturday’s Grand Final. If Newcastle win, the game is in Newcastle. If Sydney wins, a home final at Go Media Stadium beckons.
Ticketing information for that match will be released after the semi-final between to the two clubs.
