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Auckland City FC score late winner

Words: ACFC Media

Tuesday 12 April 2016

Auckland City FC have survived late drama to claim a 2-1 win against Lae City Dwellers in their Oceania Champions League clash on the outer oval at North Harbour Stadium.

A cool 89th-minute Joao Moreira finish proved the difference for the defending champs on Wednesday, after they were stunned by a brilliant equaliser just three minutes earlier from the captain of the Papua New Guinea side, Roger Gunemba.

Showing the class which has led them to seven Oceania confederation titles, including the last five, Auckland City immediately pushed forward and midfielder Clayton Lewis played a pinpoint ball to put the Portuguese striker behind the defence.

Moreira duly beat Lae City goalkeeper Ronald Warisan to the ball and tucked it in from a tight angle.

The home side maintained their buffer in a fiery five minutes of added time, claiming a victory which means a draw in their final group A clash with second-placed Vanuatu team Amicale on Sunday will be enough to book a spot in the semifinals.

The winner of the 12-team tournament qualifies for the Fifa Club World Cup in Japan in December.

Auckland City quickly asserted their dominance over last year's PNG championship playoff winners, but it was not until the 14th minute the hosts were able to create their first genuine chance.

Nicolai Berry played a one-two with Emiliano Tade on the edge of the area and Berry's shot was palmed wide by a diving Warisan, one of several good saves the Lae City shot stopper made in the first half.

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The visitors were proving well organised in defence and continued to get strong back-up from Warisan, who made his second good save in keeping out Moreira's low drive from distance in the 27th minute.

And the keeper was at it again eight minutes later, closing down and saving a low hard strike when Darren White brought a cross down in the shadow of the back post.

Ensuring they went into the sheds without reward for their almost complete dominance, Auckland City squandered their best chance of the half in the 43rd minute. A tumble from a Lae City defender gifted Tade the ball and he found an unmarked Moreira, whose poor first touch resulted in a weak shot easily stopped by an advancing Warisan.

Moreira missed another chance early in the second spell when he chipped over Warisan and wide, but after 65 minutes in the ascendancy Auckland City finally went ahead.

Warisan had his vision partially blocked as a low corner was delivered to the near post and when his attempted punch clear fell on the goal line, home team defender Daewook Kim was on hand to knock the ball in.

Lewis sent a golden opportunity just over the crossbar eight minutes later and his side were almost made to pay for their failure to turn pressure into more goals when Gunemba masterfully curled an indirect free-kick, given after Auckland keeper Diego Rivas was ruled to be time-wasting, over the wall and into the side-netting.

A stolen point was not to be for the visitors, though, Moreira finding his range when it mattered most to keep his team's title defence well and truly on track.

Auckland City 2 (Daewook Kim 65, Joao Moreira 89) Lae City Dwellers 1 (Raymond Gunemba 85). HT: 0-0.