HONIARA, Solomon Islands - Auckland City FC saw their winning run in Group A of the OFC Men's Champions League 2025 come to an end in dramatic fashion as Rewa FC snatched a last-gasp equaliser in injury time to secure a 1-1 draw at Lawson Tama Stadium, Honiara.
7 April 2025
Despite the result, the Navy Blues finished on top of their group with seven points, cementing their place in the semi-finals.
Coach Paul Posa introduced nine changes to the starting lineup following their win over AS Tiga Sport, taking advantage of Auckland City's secure position in the last four. The reshuffled squad started strongly, with Haris Zeb continuing his fine form by finding the net just 12 minutes in.
Zeb's exquisite left-footed strike from the top of the penalty area gave Auckland City the lead and seemed to set the tone for the rest of the match.
Reflecting on the match, Coach Posa acknowledged the strength of the opposition: “Yeah, look, just another tough game. Very, very tough game. I think Rewa came to play, showed what they can do. It’ll probably be a little bit of a tournament for them of what could have been because they were very good today. Congratulations to them. I think they got a hard but well-earned point and well-deserved.”
Rewa responded well, creating chances throughout the match but failing to convert until the dying minutes. Auckland City controlled much of the second half, slowing the tempo and managing the game effectively.
Otto Ingham and Matt Ellis came close to doubling the Navy Blues' lead but were unable to find the back of the net.
Posa praised the depth and quality of his squad: “We made quite a few changes, but the quality of the team wasn’t dropping. I felt very confident in everybody that went out there today. It’s just a way of managing a tournament, really. And we were in the luxury position before the draw between Pirae and Tiga that we knew whatever happened, we’d win the group.”
With Rewa pressing in the closing stages, John Orobulu capitalised on a defensive error deep into injury time, sneaking the ball past goalkeeper Connor Tracey to level the scores and end the Fijians' campaign on a high note.
Looking ahead to the semi-finals, Posa shared his plans for preparation: “Oh, look, we’re just going to have a rest and regroup tomorrow. Probably giving the players no training tomorrow, day off. We’ll focus on the semi-final. Whoever that is, we’ll try and watch a little bit from the other group
Auckland City FC now looks forward to Wednesday’s semi-final at the National Stadium in Honiara, where they will face the runners-up from Group B.
Ends
Match Result
OFC Champions League 2025
Saturday, 5 April
Rewa FC 1 (John Orobulu 90+5')
Auckland City FC 1 (Haris ZEB 12’)
HT: 0-1
AC: 1 GK Conor TRACEY, 4 Christian GRAY, 8 Gerard GARRIGA (22 Tong ZHOU 62’), 11 Ryan DE VRIES (7 Myer BEVAN 62’), 14 Jordan VALE, 19 Dylan CONNOLLY (17 Jerson LAGOS 62’), 20 Matt ELLIS, 25 Michael DEN HEIJER (3 Adam MITCHELL 62’), 27 Haris ZEB, 28 Otto, INGHAM ,30 Adam BELL (10 Dylan MANICKUM 70’)
SUBS NOT USED: 24 GK Nathan GARROW, 6 Nikko BOXALL 13 Nathan LOBO, 26 David YOO
HEAD COACH: Paul POSA
ASSISTANT COACH: Ivan VICELICH
ASSISTANT COACH: Adria CASALS
GK COACH: Jonas HOFFMANN
TEAM MANAGER: Keith COTON
PHYSIOTHERAPIST: Matt PAYNE
PHYSIOTHERAPIST: Zara ELLIS
