If we’re keeping it all the way one hundred here, the semi-final triumph over Auckland City was the big test for this Team Wellington side. Whoever they played in the final was never going to give them as much of a bump as the ACFC lot did, although of course no coach is ever going to allow their team to take any opponent lightly. Lautoka FC weren’t coming over to sample the wine selections, mate. They weren’t here for pictures and parties.

They might have borrowed a few raincoats though. With Team Wellington playing hosts for leg one on a (typically) wet and windy Wellington afternoon, TW had the chance to effectively kill the tie with a goal barrage at home. These were the ninety minutes that they could rely on. You don’t wanna be fretting for away goals deep into a sweaty second leg under the Fijian sun but get a few goals up and that prospect won’t be so daunting, not if all you have to do is sit in and defend a comfortable lead. In order to earn that luxury they’d need a ruthless attitude and some clinical finishing over at David Farrington Park…

And so they recalled Ross Allen. Allen who had already scored nine times for Team Wellington in only 11 games (with a few of those coming off the bench). But he hadn’t previously started in any of the Champions League knockout stuff, Angus Kilkolly getting the nod ahead of him in the previous three OCL games. Other than that it was the usual selection that’s done Team Welly good so far. Meanwhile Lautoka had their share of impressive names. Benjamin Totori and Brian Kaltack, for example. And NZer Cory Chettleburgh. Not a team to take lightly – Auckland City only beat them 1-0 in the group stage.

Turns out picking Ross Allen was a clever move from Jose Figueira. Some strikers just have that knack for being in the right place at the right time and Allen could hardly have been more of either as old mate Roy Kayara unleashed a shot from a tight angle that rocked the crossbar and fell almost literally into Ross Allen’s lap. There were some calls for handball from the defence but it all happened so quickly. He was maybe half a metre off the line and couldn’t have missed if he’d tried.

That was roughly quarter of an hour in and already they’d had a few searchers, Mario Ilich’s volley across the goal the best of them. Team Wellington have never been to a Club World Cup (only Auckland City and Waitakere have ever represented Aotearoa there) and they were clearly pumped up for this one, not about to let it slip like Stevie G.

As for Lautoka, they were happy enough to play it cautious and make their moves in the second leg, understandably. They sat deep and looked to counter through a couple of main dudes, although Totori seemed a frustrated chap with that strategy. Obviously it meant he was quite isolated but a few chippy fouls didn’t do him any help. Yet the overall strategy seemed to be working for quite a while there. Ross Allen’s early goal should have been added to, however hitting the sheds it was still only 1-0.

Not that Team Welly were getting shut down or anything. It was largely their own fault. Andy Bevin was playing magnificently, getting involved in everything, while both wingbacks (Molloy and Kayara) were looking all sorts of dangerous. It’s just that the finishing wasn’t great. A little too casual in the attacking third at times, at others they simply kept missing the target. Bevin, Ilich and Nate Hailemarian all get a little blame for that. Lautoka came out a little more aggressive in the second half, trying to press and win the ball high up, and for about ten minutes they held out and we kinda had to pause and wonder if they could maintain this scoreline. Going back to Fiji with a 1-0 deficit would leave them in a great position to strike… but then on came Jack-Henry Sinclair.

JHS scored with pretty much his first touch and then the floodgates burst open with immense force. It was an easy finish, tapping in after Ross Allen’s header had been parried. Within minutes Andy Bevin popped up in enough space to slam in the third, a goal he more than deserved for his performance, and then, making it three goals in five minutes, Mario Barcia scored a thunder-bastard of the highest order.

Like, imagine scoring that goal in a Champions League final. Imagine scoring that goal even at training. Imagine merely imagining scoring a goal that good. He thwacked that son of a bitch right into the top corner. Took a peck from the keeper, by the looks, a top level keeper probably would’ve stopped it, but damn. Also don’t rip on Beniamino Mateinaqara because he made a couple dead fine saves earlier in this game to keep his team in it. Unfortunately once the second went in, they never recovered.

They were never going to after Praneel Naidu left a few sprigs in Roy Kayara’s flesh and saw a red card for his indiscretion. Naidu had scored the decisive goal that saw Lautoka qualify for this final which goes to show you how quickly heroes can fall in footy, ah well.

Team Wellington weren’t done at four. Jack-Henry Sinclair might tell you he was trying to shoot - it didn’t look like it but you never know – but whatever he was trying to do, his stab with the outside of his right boot from a less than ideal angle somehow floated perfectly, no exaggeration, into the top corner of the far post for a stunning fifth. Then Taylor Schrijvers nodded in a late sixth because someone had to rep the defenders.

A 6-0 win in Wellington and it all looks like a matter of formalities from here on. There’s a 99% chance that this Team Wellington defence concedes fewer than six goals over in Fiji and even that feels generous to Lautoka. Perhaps if they’d been able to grab a couple away goals, yet Scott Basalaj was in top nick on the few occasions he was called into action – his best moment being a tipped save from a free kick before the final goal.

So, yeah, there you go. An utterly ruthless second half means that Team Wellington get to open their Christmas presents a week early. Club World Cup, fellas. After years on top of years of watching Auckland City try to punch above their weight it’ll be funky to see a different coloured uniform out there. Should be good. Should be better than good.

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