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| Canterbury United | Auckland City |
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1 | NZFC - Semi-Final 1st Leg, English Park, Sunday 4 April 2010 | 2 | |
Gareth Rowe 7 | Jason Hayne 20 | ||
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Halftime: 1 - 2 Referee: Chris Kerr Crowd: 1025
by Gavin Searle at English Park Defending champions Auckland City had to come from a It was costly mistakes at the back by Canterbury that gave this game to Auckland City and they now must be strongly favoured to reach their fifth NZFC grand final on 25 April. Canterbury took an early lead when defender Gareth Rowe scored his first goal of the season from a corner. Auckland replied with a goal of supreme quality with James Pritchett leading a counter attack down the right hand touch line before he delivered a cross which saw four Auckland attackers lining up to meet the cross. In the end it was the impressive Jason Hayne who headed home pass Canterbury keeper, Tom Batty, to bring the scoreline level and provide the home side with a healthy dose of reality about play-off football. Ten minutes later Auckland took the lead and a mistake by Rowe allowed Daniel Koprivcic in for an easy goal. It was a hammer blow for Canterbury after such a promising start. Auckland then controlled play for a period into the second half with the home side then pressing hard for an equalising goal in the final minutes of the game but with little luck.
"We are disappointed but we are not out of it, it (the play-off) is only half time. Late in the second half I felt we had them under the cosh and a bit of luck did not go our way," Keith Braithwaite said. "We have just played the best team in the country and they scored through our mistakes. We made mistakes and they punished us, it was the same the other week when we lost to them 3-1 but we are learning the hard way". "We know what we have to do next week and we will give them a go up there", said Braithwaite. "This is a tough place to come and play and we are thrilled with the result. The goals we took were as a result of good finishing for a change, so it is really pleasing. We had talked a lot about creating but not finishing so it was good to finish a couple today", said Auckland coach Paul Posa. The return match is scheduled for Sunday 11 April, 2010, at Kiwitea Street with the kick-off time yet to be confirmed. |
Canterbury United | V | Auckland City |
18. Tom Batty (gk) | 1. Jacob Spoonley (gk) | |
4. Gareth Rowe (capt) | 3. Ian Hogg | |
5. Matt Boyd | 5. Matt Williams | |
6. Andy Pitman | 6. Ki-Hyung Lee out 86 | |
7. Aaron Clapham | 7. James Pritchett out 80 | |
9. Russell Kamo | 8. Chad Coombes | |
11. Tom Lancaster out 75 | 11. Daniel Koprivcic | |
12. Nick Wortelboer | 15. Ivan Vicelich (capt) | |
15. Paul Dirou | 16. Jason Hayne | |
17. Glen Collins | 17. Adam McGeorge | |
19. Darren Overton out 70 | 20. Greg Uhlmann | |
Substitutes | Substitutes | |
1. Chris Sinclair (rgk) | 4. Sam Campbell in 80 | |
10. Andrew Barton in 75 | 9. Paul Urlovic | |
13. Hue Frame | 13. Alex Feneridis in 86 | |
16. Daniel Burns in 70 | 18. Paul Gothard (rgk) | |
23. Jordan Swaney | 22. Adam Dickinson in 75 | |
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Welcome to English Park for the 1st leg semi-final between Canterbury United and Auckland City. vernight rain will have soften up the pitch with conditions overcast. In the curtain raiser in the youth league semi-final Canterbury United defeated Auckland-Manukau 3 - 0. | |
1 min | Chris Kerr gets the game underway |
3 mins | First chancne to Auckland but easily cleared by Canty defender |
5 min | Coombes claimes for a penalty but ref back near centre circle as Hogg is on the ground |
7 min | GOAL 1 - 0 Canty take the lead from a cormer first shot by Boyd is blocked by Spoonley but Rowe on hand to scamble ball over the line |
10 min | Auckland looking to get forward via Coombes but Wortelboar equal to the task |
11 min | Canty free-kick to left of goal 35 metres out but comes to nothing |
15 min | Play has been even to date with both keepers having little to do so far |
20 min | GOAL 1 - 1 Quickly counter by Auck down the right touch line by Pritchett and pin point cros headed home by Hayne! |
25 min | Auck win free-kick but Batty up high to take |
27 min | Auck win first corner Uhlmann up high buts heads wide |
29 min | GOAL 1 - 2 Error at the back proves costly for Canty as Koprivcic scores easily to give Auckland the lead |
34 min | Canty win corner by danager cleared |
38 min | Auck looking more danagerous the longer the game goes |
40 min | Good Canty build up finally comes to end as Vicelich clears ball |
42 min | Auck win free-kick as Pitman and McGeorge do not see eye to eye |
45 min | Kamo on ball but cross blocked |
45 min | There will be one minute added time |
HT 1 - 2 Both teams head to the break with Auckland looking in control. Canty connot afford to concede further goals if the have any hope of reaching the final. The ref will have to keep things in control as tempers looked to boil over several times late in the half | |
46 min | Play back underway |
47 min | Auckland attack end as Pritchett mis hit sho and goes well wide |
49 min | Form as Canty free-kick Spoonley punches clear under pressure from Boyd |
50 min | Quickly attack by Canty has ball sweeping upfield but final pass over goal line |
54 min | Hayne to the side to receive treatment after brought down in middle of the park but quickly back on |
56 min | Two quick saves from Batty to keep Canty in the game |
60 min | Clapham hits Canty freekick wide |
63 min | Canty looking to press forward in numbers when ever they which at times is leaving gaps at the back |
66 min | Clapham run into area but checked by Vicelich |
68 min | Vicelich again on had to clear cross from right |
70 min | Sub Canty first to use bench as urns replaces Overton |
73 min | Lancaster shot on turn taken by Spooney |
75 min | Subs Canty replaces Lancaster for Barton and Auckland brings off Koprivcic for ickinson |
78 min | Batty out to save from McGeorge |
80 min | Sub Auckland to the bench again with Campbell replacing Pritchett |
81 min | Boyd goes close for Canty but Spoonley saves |
82 min | Cross from Kamo turned away for Canty corner |
85 min | Play now switching from end to end but Canty cannot afford to drop another goal |
86 min | From Canty freekick Rowe heads just wide of goal |
86 min | Sub Auck relaces Lee with Feneridis |
88 min | Kamo just fails to make contact with ball from freekick |
90 min | 3 mins added time |
90 min + 2 | Canty win freekick but in their own half |
90 min + 3 | FT 1 - 2 Auckland in the box seat heading into the 2nd leg as Kiwitea St |
goal behind before taking a healthy 2-1 lead into the second leg of their semi-final at Kiwitea St with Canterbury United next Sunday. 
On the balance of play Auckland deserved their win and Canterbury will be looking to kept their rivals scoreless in the return leg if they have any hope of making their second final appearance - and score twice themselves, something they have yet to achieve in Auckland this season.
=yellow card
=2 yellow cards
= red card