Something has to give for inseparable duo
Come the end of Sunday’s OFC Champions League semifinal, something will have separated Auckland City and Team Wellington, but it’s hard to see what it will be.
The home-and-away tie is locked at 0-0 after the first leg, played at David Farrington Park in the capital last Sunday, leaving all to play for in the second leg, at Kiwitea St in Auckland [kick off 12.30pm] – the winner will be the favourite in the two-legged final, where a place at December’s Club World Cup will be at stake
These two teams have been evenly matched over the past three months, producing a pair of 0-0 draws – the other in the national league’s regular season – and a 1-0 City win, in the national league final.
Another tight match is expected on Sunday, and it wouldn’t be a great surprise if the score remains 0-0 come the end of full time, then extra time, which would mean a penalty shootout.
The first bit of intrigue will be in how City line up, as they continue to chase their eighth continental title in a row.
Coach Ramon Tribulietx opted for a change last Sunday, placing usual midfielder Reid Drake at left Auckland City v Team Wellington; Kiwitea St, Auckland (0-0 on aggregate)
Marist v Lautoka; Lawson Tama Stadium, Honiara (1-1 on aggregate) back, with usual left back Dan Morgan operating slightly further up the field.
Tribulietx said on Friday the move was made to try to help City play out from the back better, in the face of Team Wellington’s high press: ‘‘It did work at times, but other times it didn’t’’.
Team Wellington coach Jose Figueira said he felt his team adjusted well to the challenge in front of them, as they finished with more possession and more shots on target than in either of the teams’ previous two meetings.
"It sort of caught us off guard slightly in the first five to 10 minutes, but the boys showed really good tactical flexibility to ensure we stuck to our plan and pressed them properly, and tried to hurt them where we could with the ball. I’m expecting them to go back to their more traditional shape, playing at home in front of their fans, doing what they want to do in terms of playing with the ball.
‘‘We saw last week with the shape they did employ, they defended with five and two in front for the majority of the game, which made things difficult. While we’re planning for them to revert back to their usual shape, we’re more than prepared for any other unexpected things that might pop up.’’
Having kept City out at home, Team Wellington can now benefit from scoring an away goal or two this Sunday – they will advance if the result is a score draw, so if they score once, City will need to score twice, and so on.
The catch is that that means getting the ball past City’s Spanish keeper Enaut Zubikarai, who hasn’t conceded in his past 15 matches in all competitions, and for 1368 minutes in total.
Team Wellington keeper Scott Basalaj was also in fine form last Sunday, making two crucial stops, and it seems it will require something special for either side to break the deadlock – or a momentary defensive lapse.
The one goal either side has scored in their past three matches came when City attacker Callum McCowatt was allowed just a fraction too much space by his Wellington marker during a three-onthree break. The margins are that fine.