Southern Utd get first win

Southern United scored twice in stoppage time to upset Waita¯ kere United and get their first win of the men’s national league football season.

Danny Furlong netted twice in the dying minutes to give his side a 2-1 win at Trusts Arena in Auckland, and lift them up to sixth on the table.

Eder Franchini had put Waita¯ kere in front with quarter of an hour to play, but they couldn’t close the game out.

Across town at Kiwitea St, Auckland City moved to the top of the table, ahead of Team Wellington on goal difference.

They beat Hamilton Wanderers 6-0 at Kiwitea St on Sunday, their biggest win in the league since March 2015, when they beat the Wellington Phoenix reserves 7-0.

Team Wellington, meanwhile, needed a goal deep into stoppage time to get up over Tasman United, 2-1 at Dave Farrington Park in the capital.

Both teams have 10 points from five games, and have moved ahead of Eastern Suburbs, who have nine from four, but lost to Hawke’s Bay United on Sunday – their first defeat of the season.

At Kiwitea St, Albert Riera was allowed to control the game from the base of midfield from the start, and City’s array of attacking talent had a field day.

All three forwards – Ryan de Vries, Callum McCowatt and Emiliano Tade – scored in the first half, in the 14th, 27th and

42nd minutes, while Wanderers couldn’t muster a single shot on target, giving City keeper Enaut Zubikarai the afternoon off.

An own goal by Liam Fellowes made it 4-0 with just over

20 minutes to play, and Tade and de Vries then both scored again – City’s 16th and 17th goals in this season.

Coming a week after a solid outing against Eastern Suburbs, where they were unlucky not to pick up a point,

Wanderers looked well off the pace from the start, though they were hampered by losing midfielder Alexis Varela to a groin injury in the warmups.

Tom Jackson scored twice to give Team Wellington a win over Tasman at Dave Farrington Park, first with his head, inside 10 minutes, and then with his foot, from a free kick in the third of five added minutes.

In between, Paul Ifill had come off the bench early in the second half to equalise, and Tasman would have been disappointed not to get something from the game. Mario Barcia was sent off for Team Wellington in the 88th minute, but being a man down didn’t prevent them from finding a late winner.

At William Green Domain in Auckland, Hawke’s Bay United picked up their second away win of the season, 2-1 over Eastern Suburbs, thanks to a brace from Bjorn Christensen, who scored in the 20th minute and again seven minutes into the second half.

Hawke’s Bay’s win leaves them as the only unbeaten side.