For seven straight years Auckland City has reigned supreme in Oceania. Season after season they’ve triumphed in the Champions League and as their reward they’ve represented the confederation at the Club World Cup. It’d almost got to where it felt like they were automatics at the CWC – City’s nine appearances at that tournament over the years is one more than Barcelona and Real Madrid combined and comfortably ahead of Egypt’s Al-Ahly in second place.

But recent years have seen Team Wellington emerge to create a rivalry at the top of the kiwi Premiership and after winning a few of those bad boys it was about time that they translated that into the Champions League stuff. Before the season the call was that qualifying for the Club World Cup was the priority, winning the Champions League. When they lost the Premiership final you could tell the big one was still to follow.

And here it was. Second leg of the Champos, coming off a slightly tentative (but nonetheless entertaining) 0-0 draw down in the capital a week ago. This one was at Kiwitea Street in Auckland and guess what happened? CITY CONCEDED A GOAL!

Wait, no, that can’t be right. City don’t concede goals so that’s gotta be a mistake. Although it sure looked like a goal when Eric Molloy dashed in at the far post and sent a powerful header back across the goal from Andy Bevin’s cross, thumping it right into the top corner before Super Zubi could turn his head. Exactly the kind of brilliant finish that had to happen eventually, the pressure had been swelling the last couple times these two teams had played.

And it sure looked like a goal when they went back to halfway for a kickoff, it sure looked like a goal when they chucked it up on the scoreboard. Fifteen consecutive clean sheets. 1405 minutes without conceding. You can set it in stone now because the streak’s been broken. It’ll be a long time before we see a defensive run like that again.

Both keepers had already been forced into decent saves, Zubikarai denying Andy Bevin and Nate Hailemariam in quick succession after Basalaj had gone low to his right to parry away a Dan Morgan free kick. Then Zubi did it all again as he blocked Hailemariam’s long range strike and then got back up to shut down Eric Molloy’s follow-up.

This was about half an hour into the clash, both teams going with familiar lineups. Team Welly named an unchanged eleven from the one that played in the first leg and also the quarterfinal, while Auckland City did alternate things with two changes, Owen Parker-Price coming in for Cole Peverley and Micah Lea’alafa for Kris Bright. Understandable changes that’d give them a little more mobility around the park yet it maybe took some steel out of that midfield at the same time. Granted that steel was taken out already because the stricter foreign player rules in the OCL meant that Albert Riera and Fabrizio Tavano had to be sacrificed.

Don’t sleep on OPP, who may be a youngster but he started the first three games of the Premiership season as well so this was no bolter selection. And we all know what Micah Lea’alafa can do. But although the emergence of Callum McCowatt, the reinvention of Te Atawhai Hudson-Wihongi and a couple other local signings did prepare City for this stage without some of their most reliable veterans, it’s no doubt that Team Wellington, who could roll out a largely kiwi team no different to their Premiership XIs, handled the import restrictions far better.

Their goal started with Nate Hailemariam dropping deep and linking with Roy Kayara going forward. He held off Cam Howieson and slipped it wide to Andy Bevin who had drifted over to the right flank. These are guys who’ve been playing together and forging combinations all season. That stuff makes a difference. Molloy’s presence at the far post was only the last in a long line of clever movements.

Lea’alafa came close to levelling this game immediately but a couple minutes later it was Hailemariam and Kayara running at the defence again, notably Kayara both times taking the inside track and getting at the channels rather than going for maximum width. He burst into the box and beat Cam Howieson to the ball, his stab taking a touch off Andy Bevin before Zubikarai snatched it up. But a whistle had blown. A penalty had been given. Presumably for Howieson’s challenge but whatever, nobody seemed to argue much. Up stepped Angus Kilkolly and it was 2-0 to Team Wellington… what the hell was happening!?

This was a test that Auckland City had never really had to deal with this season. All through their run in the Champions League and their run towards the Premiership title that defensive streak meant they were always in control of every game they played. Like, the last time they were behind in a game was for ten minutes on January 7 after Keegan Linderboom scored a penalty for Waitakere. Callum McCowatt equalised soon after and now seventeen games later here we were. They still haven’t lost since coming back from the 2017 Club World Cup.

So this was basically uncharted territory for a team that’s usually prepared for pretty much every other challenge they can face. Chucking extra players forward stretches out that midfield and exposes that defence, a couple things that being able to avoid just happens to be a big part of why they’re so good. Lumping balls into the box wasn’t going to be much help either when the Welly defenders had their front trio for size and strength. And even Manchester City have their issues trying to break down a stacked defence now and then.

Meaning that this particular City, Auckland City, had to break character if they were going to have any chance and, tell ya what, it was sure fun to see them try. Problem was they needed to score three goals because of the away goals thing, plus they didn’t have much in terms of difference makers on the bench. That depth getting tested as Dalton Wilkins, Darren White and Kris Bright all got a go as the game went on. Pace and space were the tricks. Emiliano Tade looked dangerous whenever he had something to run into. McCowatt and Lea’alafa were buzzing around. But Team Wellington weren’t budging as the challenges went surging in and a couple stroppy moments occurred.

That is… until they did budge. Emilano Tade took the smartarse option by smashing his free kick low from the edge of the area, with quarter of an hour left (or so we thought) and a deflection through the wall took it into the net. Now it was 2-1 and City still needed two goals but they finally had something to encourage them. They kept on gassing at it, which made for a frantic game as gaps opened up both ways. Into injury time now, all eight minutes of it. All eight and more, as it happened. Angel Berlanga stayed forward and smacked a low cross into the box in the seventh of those minutes and it took a pop off the shin of Scott Hilliar and into the goal for 2-2, how about that?

Surely time was all up though. Surely there was no chance of the late, late, late winner that’d see Auckland City into the final. Yet for some reason this thing went past the 100 minute mark with time added on to time added on and Emiliano Tade swept in one of the most nerve-wracking corner kicks in recent memory right at the end – imagine if Welly had lost it there, imagine the scenes! – but Basalaj threw a booming punch at a loose ball and the final whistle finally, exhaustingly, blew.

Which means that Team Wellington will play Lautoka in the two-legged final after the Fijian side responded in the appropriate manner with a more clinical performance in the second leg away to Marist, a single goal from Praneel Naidu in the second half making the difference following a 1-1 first leg. First forty-five minutes they had to defend for their lives as the home team, winger Atkin Kaua in particular, caused absolute havoc but Lautoka got through it all unscathed and were in control after Naidu stabbed in from a cross from the right.

Marist had their chances and the Solomon team couldn’t take ‘em. Instead Lautoka advance to their first Champions League final and will get a week off next week before playing the first leg in Wellington on May 12 and then back to the Islands for numero dos on May 19 for the trophy.

Gotta pour one out for Auckland City while we’re here. Seven straight seasons in the Club World Cup and with reformations coming to that tournament this might have been their last chance to get back there. Could be the end of an era, although nobody can argue that Team Wellington aren’t worth a dig at the global exhibition.

By the way, in five meetings this season, Auckland City won once (the Premmy final), there were two 0-0 draws and Team Welly won the others 3-1 and 2-0, the first and last games of ACFC’s season… but not Welly’s because they’re off to the OCL final now, mate.

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