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Navy Blues see off WaiBOP United

Words: ACFC Media

Sunday 28 February 2016

So that is how it ends for WaiBop United. With a whimper rather than a bang, and a 4-1 loss to Auckland City at Kiwitea St, their 12th defeat in 14 games at the boutique ground.

They were a worthy competitor for long stretches on Sunday afternoon, and played with a man advantage for 40 minutes, but ultimately the league leaders' class proved too great.

Speedy wingers Micah Lea'alafa and Ryan de Vries each nabbed a brace for the hosts, while Stephen Hoyle struck WaiBop's lone goal in reply, as their 199th league game became their 110th loss, going back to the days of Waikato FC.

No matter what Sunday's result was, WaiBop were always going to finish the regular season fifth and Auckland City first.

The visitors pressed high from the outset, and created a chance within seconds, as a loose ball fell to winger Wade Molony, but his snap shot passed just wide of the left post.

They had the better chances early on, but the hosts came into the game as things settled down.

The thing about Auckland City is that they only need a moment - and sometimes only half a moment - to hurt you.

On the 25 minute mark it took just seconds for Lea'alafa to cut inside from the right wing, sprint towards goal, and then unleash a shot from the edge of the box, which curled past WaiBop keeper Zac Speedy and inside the near post.

The goal seemed to stifle WaiBop somewhat, as Auckland City began to have more time on the ball, and more chances followed.

A good one came in the 34th minute when Lea'alafa cut inside from the right again, forcing Speedy to pull off a reflex save.

As halftime approached, WaiBop had a golden shout for a penalty, when Mark Jones was bundled over inside the box by Takuya Iwata, only for the referee to do nothing but stare and shake his head - and not for the first time this season.

Six minutes into the second half, Hoyle found himself in a good position, as he tends to do, and after rounding City keeper Diego Rivas, he slotted home to tie things up.

Three minutes later, Auckland City defender Dae Wook Kim was shown his second yellow of the match, reducing his side to 10 men, and giving WaiBop an advantage as they sought a fairytale finish.

But even a man down, City were still a threat.

First Clayton Lewis called on Speedy to dig deep and pull off another fabulous save from a free kick, then in the 61st minute, de Vries did the same, only for his shot from the edge of the box to prove too good and cannon into the back of the net.

Two minutes later, de Vries found himself with room to run down the left again, before playing in Joao Moreira, who put it on a plate for Lea'alafa to score his second at the back post.

WaiBop had no choice but to push forward at that point, inviting de Vries and Lea'alafa to use their speed on the counterattack, and so it was in the 70th minute, when de Vries finished off a long run by grabbing his brace.

Three goals behind, WaiBop were going to need a miracle, and although they tried hard to the last, they couldn't force their way back in, as Auckland City completed their 27th win in a row, a new national league record.

Speedy added another pair of fine saves to his resume as the game petered out, but that was all she wrote for WaiBop, on a funereal grey and drizzly afternoon.

They will now be consigned to the history books, as it becomes Hamilton Wanderers' job to fly the region's flag at national level.

Ends

Match Result

Auckland City 4 (Lea'alafa 2, de Vries 2) beat WaiBop United 1 (Hoyle) HT: 1-0