AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Auckland City FC fell to a tense 2-1 defeat against Birkenhead United at Shepherds Park on Easter Friday, conceding two scrappy goals from set pieces in each half during a windy Northern League encounter.
18 April 2025
The match, a rematch of last year’s New Zealand national title decider, promised to be a tightly contested affair, and it delivered as both teams went toe-to-toe from the first whistle. Birkenhead struck first, with Dino Botica poking home after a chaotic goalmouth scramble inside the Navy Blues box.
City rallied and levelled the score with style. Nikko Boxall and Haris Zeb combined brilliantly, Zeb delivering a pinpoint cross that Gerard Garriga coolly slotted into the net.
The second half saw both teams trading chances, but the decisive blow came in the 67th minute. Another long throw into the box created havoc, culminating in Birkenhead capitalising and putting the ball past City keeper Conor Tracey.
The Navy Blues pressed hard for an equaliser, with Matt Ellis and Garriga forcing stunning saves from Birkenhead’s Keegan Smith. Dylan Connolly’s perfectly timed tackle against his former club highlighted City’s defensive resolve, but Birkenhead’s counter-attacks kept them threatening.
As the clock ticked down, Auckland City turned up the heat, subjecting Birkenhead to sustained pressure in the final minutes. However, Paul Hobson’s side held their nerve, celebrating their second-ever win over the defending champions in front of jubilant home fans.
Captain Mario Ilich reflected on the defeat: “Yeah, it was pretty disappointing to concede two goals like that, especially from set pieces. They out-competed us today, no doubt about that. We had chances to score a few goals, didn’t take them—on a different day, could’ve been a different result. But hey, that’s football. We’ll fix those mistakes in training and focus on the next one.”
Looking ahead to Easter Monday’s clash against Bay Olympic at Kiwitea Street, Ilich added: “Another game on Monday—it’s the beautiful thing about football. We’ll dust ourselves off, train hard on Sunday, right those wrongs, and go again.”
Ends
Match Result
Northern League R5
Friday, 18 April Shepherds Park
Birkenhead United: 2 (Dino BOTICA 8’,John CLOUT 67’)
Auckland City FC : 1 (Gerard GARRIGA 20’)
HT: 1-1
AC: 1. Conor TRACEY, 2. Mario ILICH (C) (25. Michael DEN HEIJER 74’), 4. Christian GRAY, (30. Jackson MANUEL 74’), 5. Nikko BOXALL, (21. Adam BELL 68’), 7. Myer BEVAN, 8. Gerard GARRIGA, 13. Nathan LOBO, 19. Dylan CONNOLLY, 20. Matt ELLIS, 26. David YOO, 27. Haris ZEB (17. Jerson LAGOS 68’)
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
