Auckland City run rampant
Canterbury win again
Auckland City scored seven to get their OFC Champions League defence off to a dream start, while Team Wellington struck late just to salvage a draw in their opening match.
In a weekend of mixed fortunes for New Zealand’s two participating clubs, Emiliano Tade scored a hat-trick in a 7-0 rout of Tahitian side Venus yesterday.
Two of Tade’s goals came in a one-sided first half during which City found the back of the net four times, with Reid Drake and Micah Lea’alafa also netting.
Teenagers Callum McCowatt and Dalton Wilkins then added to the score in the second half, before Tade iced the victory with his third of the match to send the nine-time champions to the top of group C.
‘‘The team started taking control from the first minute and created many, many chances in both halves so we’re very happy with the performance,’’ City coach Ramon Tribulietx said.
Meanwhile, Team Wellington endured a difficult time in their group D opener against Solomon Islands side Marist, relying on a late equaliser
Angus Kikolly point.
The defending ISPS Handa Premiership champions were stunned when Marist’s 38-year-old midfielder Abraham Iniga scored eight minutes before halftime during the hosts’ dominant start.
Team Wellington coach Jose Figueira later admitted his players struggled in the conditions – the match was played in front of an 8000-strong crowd at Lawson Tama Stadium, Honiara, in temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius.
‘‘Full credit to Marist, in the first half they were fantastic,’’ Figueira said. ‘‘They pressed us really well and we weren’t able to get into our rhythm whatsoever.
‘‘Obviously with a big crowd behind them, I think a few of our from substitute just to secure a Canterbury United have moved up to third on the ISPS Handa Premiership table after scoring two late goals to edge Hawke’s Bay United 2-1.
Canterbury went behind at Bluewater Stadium in Napier yesterday when Bay substitute Sam de Croix scored with his first touch, firing a pinpoint Tinashe Marowa cross past goalkeeper Coey Turipa in the 63rd minute.
Canterbury’s determination was rewarded in the 77th minute when striker Stephen Hoyle charged past a handful of defenders before scoring an equaliser. Futa Nakamura then scored the matchwinner with just four minutes to play.
Meanwhile, the Wellington Phoenix reserves snapped a fourgame losing streak to pile more players lost a bit of concentration.’’
Lucky to be just one goal down at the break, Team Wellington eventually settled in the second half and Kilkolly was able to silence the vocal home crowd when he laced a superb left-footed strike past goalkeeper misery on Ricki Herbert’s Hamilton Wanderers.
A 77th-minute own goal decided the 2-1 win at Porritt Stadium on Saturday, after James McGarry’s opener was cancelled out by Steffano Riley in the second half. Anthony Talo with just four minutes left to play.
Marist had a chance to win the game in stoppage time but, much to Figueira’s relief, left-back Robert Laua placed his close-range effort wide of the goal.