Auckland City

Waitakere United

3

ASB Premiership - Round 10
Kiwitea Street, Sandringham
Saturday 4 February, 2012

1

Luis Corrales 29'
Danko Koprivcic 69'
Manel Exposito 81'

Chris Bale 56'

by Bob Pearce at Kiwitea Street, Sandringham
asbpremiership.co.nz

AUCKLAND - Auckland City consolidated their two-point lead in the ASB Premiership with a 3-1 win over Waitakere United but at considerable cost.

Goalkeeper Jacob Spoonley left the field with an injured knee in the 89th minute. Influential midfielder David Mulligan followed him in added time clutching his shoulder – not a good sign with a catch-up game against Hawkes Bay United at Napier on Monday.
 
After two hard-fought draws, Auckland were keen to keep their winning record going against their cross-town rivals and they made it three out of three this season with two well-taken goals by Luis Corrales and Manel Exposito and one that Danko Koprivcic was gifted by a fortunate deflection.

Auckland opened the scoring in the 29th minute when a long clearance put him into the clear and he provided a clinical finish. Waitakere levelled in the 56th minute when a long throw by Allan Pearce was headed in by the unmarked Chris Bale.

At that stage the game could have gone either way with Waitakere always a threat to snatch the lead. But in the 69th minute Koprivcic was hit by an attempted clearance by Ryan de Vries and the ball looped over goalkeeper Danny Robinson into the net. No blame to the goalkeeper who had earlier pulled off a stunning reflex save from a header by Koprivcic after a corner.

Waitakere still pressed, feeding the speed of Roy Krishna and Ryan de Vries until the result  was sealed with a typically expert finish by Manel Exposito when the striker found himself in the clear after a through pass from Mulligan.
 
Even then there were chances for Waitakere but Gagame Feni blasted wide with the goal opening up and the Auckland swarming defence snuffed out several promising moves.
 
It was a credit to Auckland’s depth of talent because they were without the injured Adam McGeorge, Alex Feneridis and Adam Dickinson. Defenders Angel Berlanga and Ivan Vicelich were outstanding in frustrating the West Aucklanders, who had enjoyed a 5-0 romp against Otago United last weekend at the Fred.
 
Auckland coach Ramon Tribulietx was impressed by the way his team rose to the occasion in front of the biggest crowd at Kiwitea St this season.
 
“After Japan it was only human that there was a drop in our motivation,” he said. “Every game is different and this time we created chances and scored some good goals.
 
“Playing again on Monday is a bit hard but we’ll go to the pool and have a light training and then see how people are recovering. It is possible we could have Dicko and the others back, but we don’t know yet about Mullie and Jake.”
 
Waitakere coach Neil Emblen was disappointed at the result but not too downcast at the performance in a game where he thought his team were always competitive.
 
“That second goal was a killer,” he said. “I thought we were a little bit unlucky to be 1-0 down at halftime. That goal was a fluke but things like that seem to happen to us too often. And at 1-1 I thought we were the team who would go on, but at this level you’ve got to bury those chances when they come and we didn’t.”

Emblen’s thoughts are now on securing second place and the chance to nail a place in the O-League for the next season.

Auckland City

V

Waitakere United

1 Jacob Spoonley (GK) (Anderson, 86)

1 Danny Robinson (GK)

5 Angel Berlanga

2 Jason Rowley

6 Chad Coombes (Tade, 56)

4 Tim Myers

7 James Pritchett

7 Martin Bullock (Lovemore, 76)

8 David Mulligan

8 Chris Bale

9 Manel Exposito

10 Allan Pearce

10 Luis Corrales (Shaker, 85)

11 Ross McKenzie (Feni, 85)

11 Daniel Koprivcic

12 Roy Krishna

15 Ivan Vicelich

17 Jake Butler

16 Albert Riera

20 Ryan de Vries

22 Andrew Milne

27 Ross Haviland

Substitutes

Substitutes

19 Iwa Shaker (On, 85')

15 Gegame Feni (On, 85')

20 Emiliano Tade (On, 56')

25 Sean Lovemore (on, 76')

24 Stephen Carmichael

26 Reece Lambert

25 Mario Ilich

28 Andy Ralph (RGK)

26 Liam Anderson (RGK) (On, 86')

30 Rory Turner

=goal

=yellow card

=2 yellow cards

= red card

0 mins

Auckland missing Dickinson, McGeorge and Feneridis with injury

0 more mins

Coombes and Riera start. New signing Iwa Shaker on the bench

0 more mins

Waitakere have Rowley back, Lovemore makes the bench.

Fine and cloudy with easterly breeze Auckland defending clubhouse end

We're off and Auckland launch first attack

2 mins

Hopeful long ball from Auckland, hardly their usual.

4 mins

Cross by Corrales sails across goal but no takers.

5 mins

Cross by Butler well intercepted by Spoonley

7 mins

Krishna and de Vries already creating problems

10 mins

Haviland shoots from edge of area draws diving catch from Spoonley

12 mins

Quick counter attack by Waitakere sees Spoonley save with foot from Krishna

14 mins

Lovely cross from right by Krishna, butchered by Bale

15 mins

First Auckland shot on target from Exposito, easy meat for Robinson

17 mins

Pearce felled in clash of head, recovers after trainer appears. Blood being mopped up

18 mins

Pearce back with blood staunched.

20 mins

First corner to Auckland, Header by Koprivcic, great save by Robinson.

22 mins

Risky tackle by Mulligan, earns lecture but no card.

23 mins

Corrales tumbled by Rowley and Myers, another corner. Easily cleared.

25 mins

Waitakere launch concerted attack, foiled by Berlanga.

29 mins

GOAL! Corrales picks up profit from long clearance and sprints clear to score.

33 mins

Coombes makes progress on left but his shot was more of a trickle.

35 mins

Left wing corner to Waitakere, easy head clear.

38 mins

Freekick to Auckland 35m out, Mulligan takes flies off wall for corner. 

39 mins

Yellow card Bale for tackle on Corrales. Freekick headed away for corner.

40 mins

 Corrales yellow for encroachment on freekick

44 mins

 Yellow card Haviland for tackle

45 mins

Two mins to be added.

Halftime whistle, 1-0 to home team. But nothing in it.

Biggest crowd of the season at Kiwitea and the football has not disappointed.

We're off again

47 mins

Exposito takes snap shoot which sizzles just wide.

48 mins

Corner to Waitakere, falls to Krishna who slices well wide.

49 mins

Another corner for Waitakere, Butler goes for goal but freekick to Auckland.

52 mins

Krishna and Pearce combine but defence closes down

53 mins

Corner to Auckland, Berlanga header over top

56 min

GOAL! Pearce long throw, Bale heads in unchallenged

57 mins

Tade on for Coombes

58 mins

Freekick by Exposito deflected wide, corner cleared to Corrales who shoots just wide.

61 mins

Berlanga booked after coming off worse in tackle

62 mins

Tade just wide after smooth passing buildup

66 mins

Bale shoots from distance and Spoonley palms wide

69 mins

GOAL! Defender tries to clear, hits Koprivcic and the ball flies over Robinson. Freakish!

71 mins

Yellow Pearce

76 mins

Bullock off Lovemore on

81 mins

GOAL! Waitakere defence absent and Exposito can pick his spot for 3-1

85 mins

Spoonley down injured, Waitakere physio revives him

87 mins

Feni on for McKenzie and Shaker for Corrales, Spoonley down again

87 mins

Spoonley taken off injured, Anderson makes debut in goal.

90 mins

Six minutes to be added.

91 mins

Feni shot not much of a threat.

94 min

Mulligan through but well tackled by Haviland. Mulligan injured

95 mins

Auckland down to 10 with Mulligan off clutching shoulder.

96 mins

Final whistle 3-1 to Auckland who remain top