Navy Blues Seal Semi-Final Spot with Win

Goals in either half, from Dylan Manickum and Haris Zeb, secured all three points for the 12-time champions in challenging conditions.

The day began under ominous skies, with a thunderstorm delaying proceedings just six minutes into the match. Both teams were briefly pulled from the field due to nearby lightning, but play resumed shortly after, setting the stage for a hard-fought encounter. Despite the disruption, the Navy Blues wasted no time asserting themselves and putting Tiga on the back foot.

Auckland City’s breakthrough came in the 24th minute through a well-executed set-piece, straight from the training ground. Myer Bevan’s perfectly weighted pass found Dylan Manickum in the box, who calmly slotted the ball past Thomas Schmidt for his second goal of the competition.

Moments later, Bevan nearly doubled the lead, rattling the crossbar with a strike from a tight angle as City continued to dominate.

Tiga managed to regroup and adopt a more compact defensive shape as the first half progressed, denying Auckland City further chances before the break. The New Caledonian side came out with renewed intent in the second half, pushing forward more frequently but struggling to connect with their talismanic captain, Shene Welepane, and breaking the Navy Blues’ defensive line.

Coach Paul Posa made timely adjustments, introducing fresh legs to counter Tiga's growing ambition. Substitute Haris Zeb immediately impacted the game, providing a series of dangerous deliveries into the opposition box. Auckland City regained control and created several scoring opportunities, with Manickum narrowly missing a second goal after a clever setup from Bevan.

The decisive moment came deep in injury time, as Tiga failed to clear a cross from Matt Ellis. Zeb pounced, volleying the loose ball into the roof of the net to seal the victory and cap off a resilient team performance.

Post-match, head coach Paul Posa praised his squad's depth and perseverance. "It’s your squad that wins you the tournament," Posa said. "We need everybody, and if we win, it’ll be because of the squad. But that’s a long way to go."

Captain Adam Mitchell, instrumental in the defensive effort, celebrated the team’s second consecutive clean sheet. "It’s massive, especially here in the islands," Mitchell remarked. "A lot of these teams have threats going forward, so our goal was to concede zero and keep our defense compact. That’s what wins us these games."

Young goalkeeper Nathan Garrow once again caught the eye with critical saves throughout the match. Mitchell commended his teammate, stating, "Awesome again. His penalty save in the first game and his performance today were crucial. He’s got a really bright future ahead."

With semi-final qualification secure, Auckland City FC will aim to cement their dominance by finishing top of Group A in their final match against Rewa FC. Meanwhile, AS Tiga Sport face a pivotal clash with AS Pirae to determine the second semi-finalist from the group.

Ends

Match Result
OFC Champions League 2025
Wednesday, 2 April
Auckland City FC : 2 (Dylan MANICKUM 24’, Haris ZEB 90+4’)
AS Tiga Sport : 0

HT: 1-0

AC: 24. Nathan GARROW GK, 3.  Adam MITCHELL (C), 6. Nikko BOXALL, 7. Myer BEVAN, 10. Dylan MANICKUM, (14 Jordan VALE 85’),  13. Nathan LOBO,  17.  Jerson LAGOS,  (27. Haris ZEB 67’ ), 19. Dylan CONNOLLY, (30. Adam BELL 77’),  22. Tong ZHOU, 25. Michael DEN HEIJER, (8.  Gerard GARRIGA 67'), 26 David YOO, (20. Matt ELLIS 77’)

SUBS NOT USED:  1.Conor TRACEY (GK), 4. Christian GRAY, 28. Otto INGHAM

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