10-Man Auckland City Punished

It’s nothing less than the visitors deserved, arriving in Sandringham with only one win from their previous seven matches but showing resilience against the defending New Zealand and Oceania champions.

In a tightly contested encounter with few clear-cut chances, Angus Kilkolly posed the greatest threat early on, going inches wide on multiple occasions in the opening half. However, the game’s defining moment arrived in the 73rd minute, as Jerson Lagos was shown a straight red for kicking out at an opponent.

Auckland FC Reserves wasted no time making their numerical advantage count, striking just a minute later through Jonty Bidois after a swift attacking move.

Despite the setback, the 10-man Navy Blues battled hard in search of an equaliser, with Myer Bevan coming painfully close in stoppage time, his free kick skimming just wide of the post.

City vice-captain Adam Mitchell acknowledged the difficulty of playing with a man down against a motivated opponent.

"It was extremely difficult, you know, from start to finish. Auckland FC Reserves are a good side—they've got a lot of talented players playing for pro contracts. We got a man sent off, which is always difficult. At the beginning of the season, we came back and won it, but it wasn’t meant to be today. They have a lot of energy, and we just couldn't finish today—it’s a difficult defeat."

With Auckland City negotiating a packed schedule—including last month’s OFC Champions League campaign in Honiara and their looming FIFA Club World Cup opener against Bayern Munich in six weeks—focus now shifts to bouncing back quickly.

"People always say it, it's the beauty of football—we've always got another week. We've got an exciting few weeks coming up before we head away to the Club World Cup. A lot to improve on, so we’ll be back on the training pitch four times next week before another game. A lot to work on, but we’re just going to keep moving," Mitchell added.

Paul Posa’s men will look to regroup ahead of next Saturday’s Northern League clash against Eastern Suburbs at Madills Farm.

Ends

Match Result
Northern League R8
Saturday, 3 May, Kiwitea
Auckland City FC: 0
Auckland FC: 1 (Jonty BIDOIS 74’)

HT: 0-0

AC:  18. Areya PRASAD (GK), 2. Mario ILICH (C) 3. Adam MITCHELL (C), 4. Christian GRAY, 7. Myer BEVAN, 8. Gerard GARRIGA, (16. Joe LEE 85’), 9. Angus KILKOLLY, (17. Jerson LAGOS 60’), 13. Nathan LOBO, (23. Alfie ROGERS 80’), 19. Dylan CONNOLY, 20. Matt ELLIS, (27. Haris ZEB 60’), 30. Jackson MANUEL

SUBS NOT USED:  24. Nathan GARROW  (GK)

HEAD COACH: Paul POSA
ASSISTANT COACH: Ivan VICELICH
ASSISTANT COACH: Adria CASALS
GK COACH: Jonas HOFFMANN
TEAM MANAGER: Keith COTON
PHYSIOTHERAPIST: Matt PAYNE