2025 Men’s National League – Grand Final
Just like in the Women’s National League, the two most recent champions made it to the Men’s National League grand final. There had been wobbles along the way for both Wellington Olympic and Auckland City but there were fewer wobbles for the 2023 and 2024 champs than for their rivals. A couple of proven winners still doing what they do. Both needed victories in their final round games to qualify and both did exactly that to set up a Mediterranean Derby at Newtown Park in Wellington with it all on the line.
Wellington Olympic had already retained the Central League and Chatham Cup this year however they struggled for top form throughout the Nats. The Greeks were only grinding out wins for a lot of the way before sudden late defeats against Auckland FC (90+1’ winner from Ralph Rutherford) and Christchurch United (88’ winner from Jackson Cole) put them on the brink of missing the cut. But they steadied themselves with a 3-0 win against Auckland United in the pouring rain and then beat Miramar Rangers 2-1 despite going down to ten men in the first half. When it mattered most, they found a way.
The same is true of Auckland City, who many might have written off after they started with a bye in week one followed by a 3-0 to Birko in which they copped a red card. That may have given the impression that their ridiculously busy calendar had finally gotten the better of them, that this amateur club competing in six different competitions across four different countries in three different FIFA confederations wouldn’t be able to see it through. But anyone who keeps their ear to the ground knows that you never count out Auckland City. The Navy Blues only lost once more after that first game to surge up into second place. Their most recent three games leading into the final were all won by multi-goal margins, including a 3-0 win over Coastal Spirit in the final round in which they scored all three goals from second half corner kick situations. As usual, Auckland City got the job done.
It was 1-0 to Auckland City when these teams played earlier in the season. Angus Kilkolly scored the winner in the 82nd minute (another late goal conceded by the Greeks – although they did beat Western Springs thanks to a stoppage time winner). That was a tight game which Olympic were very unlucky to lose. Could have gone either way, as with so many of the meetings between these two clubs in recent years. As with this grand final itself.
The Line-Ups
There were no surprises in the Wellington Olympic line-up for Paul Ifill’s last game in charge before he takes a year off from coaching, though that didn’t mean they were quite at full strength. On top of the long term loss of Hamish Watson after his knee injury earlier in the season, Wellington Olympic also had a few more recent unavailabilities to deal with. Justin Gulley was suspended after his red card last week, Adam Supyk’s left for the OFC Pro League, and Noah Boyce missed the game through injury. But they did at least have a direct replacement for Boyce with Jonty Roubos having just managed to recover in time to partake.
Roubos lined up at right wing-back with Isa Prins doing the equivalent duties on the left. Scott Basalaj was between the sticks. Back three of Alex Solomon, Ben Mata (captain), and Will Vincent. In midfield was the everpresent duo of Tor Davenport-Petersen and Tiahn Manuel. Then Gavin Hoy and Jack-Henry Sinclair played in support of striker Gianni Bouzoukis in the forward group. The only difference from the win against Miramar was that Roubos took Gulley’s spot.
On the other side, the question was whether Auckland City would go with a back three or a back four, seeing as they’d alternated between each this season. They went with the three to match how the Greeks set up, aided by the return of Adam Mitchell after missing the previous month before popping up off the bench last week. Nathan Garrow in goal. Mitchell joined Christian Gray and Nikko Boxall in defence. Riley Dalziell (right) and Haris Zeb (left) as the wing-backs. Tong Zhou lined up alongside Mario Ilich (captain) in midfield. David Yoo, Ryan De Vries, and Myer Bevan were the front three. No Mike Den Heijer for them although Gerard Garriga was at least fit enough for a spot on the bench.
The Game
There was a decent crowd on the bank at Newtown Park making plenty of noise although it must have felt like they were watching the wrong sport to begin with, as Auckland City launched long from the kickoff and then Wellington Olympic did the same, the two sides playing forceback to avoid any early mistakes. Zhou claimed he’d copped an elbow from Sinclair in the opening seconds... nobody else saw anything but Zhou did barge over JHS at the next opportunity. Don’t mind a bit of heat in a grand final.
As for chances, those were pretty rare (until much later in the evening). Bouzoukis did whip one onto the post after sneaking behind the line onto a Gavin Hoy threaded pass but the offside flag had gone up already. At the other end, Ilich sliced into the side-netting – the City captain had scored in two of his last three matches so he’s got a taste for it. But the matching formations didn’t allow much space in the usual areas (particularly in those deep channels that Olympic always like to pepper). City’s first shot on target came after 15 mins when Yoo picked out RDV with a cut-back but De vries shot too close to Basalaj for an easy save. Roubos tasered a half-cleared corner slightly high and slightly wide for Olympic. Ilich headed wide back post after a short corner for City. Nothing but half chances and hopefuls, really. Nobody was testing the goalkeepers.
Sinclair probably should have tested Garrow after chopping inside of Gray on his way into the area but he dug under his shot and it went flying off target. Then David Yoo finally did force a decent save with a snapshot near post... Scotty Basalaj dealt with that down low, no dramas. Add in a couple sniffs for Myer Bevan that he was unable to capitalise upon. It’d be fair to say that Olympic were slightly sketchier at the back, a few errant touches/clearances in amongst, though nothing that led to anything substantial.
What this game needed, as the sunset stretched the shadows across the pitch, was a bit of extra quality from somewhere because routine enterprise wasn’t doing the trick. A slick drop of the shoulder from JHS down the left wing gave Bouzoukis the opportunity to provide that extra something but with time to strike he blasted over the top from 18 yards. Then Sinclair ghosted into the box and smacked over the top - he was flagged offside, very close call, but the point is these strikes just weren’t going where they were supposed to.
ACFC’s first chance of the second half was a snapshot volley from Yoo, twenty metres out, which fizzed past the post. Would have been a ripper. That chance ushered in a period of dominance from City, which was the first time either side had really claimed an advantage. Basalaj soon managed to smother a close-range effort from Christian Gray while Ben Mata made three or four crucial little interventions in his own area (similar to what Boxall and Mitchell had been doing earlier). Ilich had the crowd on the bank mistakenly gasping when he headed low into the side-netting... again. Mata then headed over from a Sinclair delivery as the Greeks tried to regather their balance. Okay, now things were heating up.
Paul Ifill was the first coach to crack, subbing Johnny Reynolds on for Roubos with 25 to go - JHS moving to wing-back to accommodate, no doubt with an eye towards keeping Haris Zeb in check after the Pakistani international had made a few slippery forays. And actually, you know, having Sinclair back seemed to help the attack, giving them a running threat from deeper to get that ball up where they wanted it, soon leading to a spell of Olympic crosses which looked great but never found any takers. Dylan Manickum replaced De Vries for ACFC around that same time. Then on came Angus Kilkolly and Matt Ellis (for Bevan and Yoo) with ten minutes remaining. Brave subs from Paul Posa considering who he was taking off. Then again, maybe not... because, after a close call when Manickum weaved into the area only to be denied by Basalaj on the close-out, it was Matt Ellis who wriggled free of Vincent onto a Haris Zeb cross to win the header that put Auckland City ahead. 81 minutes gone. Substitute to the rescue.
Well now. Olympic had no time to waste, they needed an equaliser within ten minutes or else the treble would evade them. Instant substitutions were made: Luke Stoupe and Sam Mason-Smith adding some extra weaponry for the final assault. What do you know, it turns out that Paul Ifill’s subs are just as sharp as Posa’s because right as hope seemed to be slipping away, with Ben Mata playing as an emergency striker, some tenacious work from SMS in the box got the ball back into the middle where it was miss-played by Dalziell and then Stoupe, after a fortunate first touch, flipped it over Nathan Garrow for the leveller in the third minute of stoppage time. Substitutes from both sides brought the goods and the last day of the NZ football season needed an extra half hour.
Extra time meant extra resources required so on came Nathan Lobo and Orlando Thorpe for City, who definitely had the deeper bench. Yet it was Olympic who had the momentum and they picked up where they left off, working that ball into the 18-yard box. They were having fun with it too. Tricks and flicks starting to emerge in extra time of a grand final, yeah why not. When you can get Luke Stoupe and Isa Prins linking up on top of that, you could probably guess what the consequences were gonna be: another shining moment in an incredible 18 months for Isa Prins.
That left just under twenty minutes for Auckland City to chase an equaliser, a little longer than what their opponents had to work with earlier... but exhaustion was setting in. City did have a mini-chance at the end of the first extra spell when Basalaj made a low save at his near post from Zeb but otherwise they weren’t even getting into dangerous areas let alone creating much. Olympic were gobbling things up and then sprinting away on the break. Prins almost iced it running in behind, only for Garrow to make a great save. On came Alex Davies for WO and a not-fully-fit Gerard Garriga for AC.
Out of next to nothing, Matt Ellis lashed a strike against the post from a narrow angle. Close but not close enough... although at least now City were threatening. By this point, Solomon could barely run. Players from both sides were gasping for air and battling through niggles. Some ducking and weaving from Ellis ended with Gray touching a low cross the wrong side of the post for another big opportunity. Frantic stuff. Very stressful. Luca Barclay came on in place of limping JHS for the last ninety seconds.
Don’t exhale yet because was more chaos to come. With forty seconds of stoppage time left, Zeb found a hint of space deep in the area against a Greeks defence that was out on their feet. His cross was part-cleared by a diving TDP header... only for Ellis to run onto it with a controlled shot on the half volley which would have been going wide but that’s what Christian Gray was there for. The Professor. After conceding a stoppage time equaliser on the brink of victory earlier, now Auckland City had scored one on the brink of defeat. A little this way, a little that way. Incredible drama in the Men’s National League grand final and there were even more antics to come with a penalty shootout necessary to split these two desperate rivals.
Alrighty then, spot kicks. Auckland City went first with Ilich steping up and missing, Basalaj diving low to his left to make the save. Ben Mata almost missed in the same fashion but his take was just accurate enough to sneak past a touch from Garrow. Advantage to the Greeks. Zeb and Prins then traded confident takes. Ellis squeezed his attempt between keeper and post before Mason-Smith dispatched his, both working off the short run-ups. Olympic still ahead after three turns. Kilkolly... goal. Davenport-Petersen... goal. Last turn and Olympic, who won the Chatham Cup against Auckland City on penalties back in 2024, were one more positive outcome away from lifting the trophy. It didn’t come as Christian Gray converted his take with the season on the line. It also didn’t come when Alex Solomon stepped up to win it... and blasted wide.
Still this game continued. Nathan Lobo sent Basalaj the wrong way and now it was Auckland City on the brink. Jonny Reynolds had to score... and he did. Dylan Manickum’s effort was so good, high into his left corner, that you wondered why he was so far down the list. Barclay wasn’t fazed, he buried his. Boxall’s take was even better than Manickum’s. Not Alex Davies though, he blasted his off the crossbar and therefore Auckland City became the NZ National League champions for 2025. 1-1 at full time. 2-2 after extra time. Stoppage time equalisers in each of them... before a 7-6 penalty shootout triumph in favour of ACFC. Once again, the NZ National League flexed its status as the greatest league on the planet.
Wellington Olympic 2-2 Auckland City
Goals (Assists)
81’ | 0-1 | AC | Ellis (Zeb)
90+3’ | 1-1 | WO | Stoupe
101’ | 2-1 | WO | Prins (Stoupe)
120+2’ | 2-2 | AC | Gray (Ellis)
Penalty Shootout
| Auckland City | Wellington Olympic | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ilich | Saved | 0-0 | Mata | Goal | 0-1 | |
| Zeb | Goal | 1-1 | Prins | Goal | 1-2 | |
| Ellis | Goal | 2-2 | Mason-Smith | Goal | 2-3 | |
| Kilkolly | Goal | 3-3 | Davenport-Petersen | Goal | 3-4 | |
| Gray | Goal | 4-4 | Solomon | Missed Wide | 4-4 | |
| Lobo | Goal | 5-4 | Reynolds | Goal | 5-5 | |
| Manickum | Goal | 6-5 | Barclay | Goal | 6-6 | |
| Boxall | Goal | 7-6 | Davies | Missed Crossbar | 7-6 |
The Champions
Between the Northern League (22), Chatham Cup (2), OFC Champions League (5), Intercontinental Cup (1), Club World Cup (3), and the National League (11)... this was be the 44th competitive fixture of the year for Auckland City (and that’s not including warm-up friendlies ahead of those FIFA events). Absolutely insane schedule for an amateur club. During all that they’ve given minutes to 45 different players - boosted by when they had to play a Chatham Cup game with their U23s squad while the first team was away at the Club World Cup. They’ve played games in New Zealand, Solomon Islands, USA, and Egpyt (plus UAE if you count those friendlies). According to the club’s website, they’ve made 29 international flights this year. They barely qualified for National League at all on the back of that workload... and now they’ve won the damn thing. Again. As they did in 2022 and 2024.
Auckland City did this with a different coach too, Paul Posa returning to the club after Albert Riera took a sabbatical that ended up with him doing some coaching in Vanuatu before signing with Christchurch United for next year. There are players who started the year with them who are at their second club since leaving (Otto Ingham having gone to Auckland United and now to Vanuatu United). We never saw guys like Conor Tracey or Jackson Manuel in the National League. But throughout all that footy they still maintained a recognisable identity thanks to key figures like Mario Ilich, Myer Bevan, David Yoo, and Christian Gray. Bevan, Gray, Yoo, and Nathan Garrow started every game in the Nats. Really cannot understate what an enormous effort it’s been from those guys to still be performing at a level worthy of winning the National League after all that they’ve been through.
Auckland City National League Player Stats
| Starts | Subs | Total | Goals | Assists | Starts | Subs | Total | Goals | Assists | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nathan Garrow | 11 | 11 | Gerard Garriga | 6 | 1 | 7 | 4 | ||||
| Christian Gray | 11 | 11 | 3 | Michael Den Heijer | 6 | 1 | 7 | ||||
| David Yoo | 11 | 11 | 3 | 2 | Jeremy Foo | 3 | 4 | 7 | |||
| Myer Bevan | 11 | 11 | 2 | 2 | Haris Zeb | 4 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 2 | |
| Mario Ilich | 10 | 10 | 2 | 1 | Orlando Thorpe | 1 | 4 | 5 | |||
| Riley Dalziell | 9 | 9 | 1 | 2 | Joe Lee | 1 | 4 | 5 | |||
| Matt Ellis | 3 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 2 | Nathan Lobo | 3 | 1 | 4 | ||
| Nikko Boxall | 8 | 8 | 1 | 1 | Tong Zhou | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | |
| Reggie Murati | 6 | 2 | 8 | Jerson Lagos | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | |||
| Ryan De Vries | 5 | 3 | 8 | 1 | Angus Kilkolly | 3 | 3 | 1 | |||
| Dylan Manickum | 3 | 5 | 8 | Jordan Vale | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Adam Mitchell | 6 | 1 | 7 |
Particularly Christian Gray because he’s not really a guy that many would put on the same level as those others in terms of raw talent but geez he’s been good. Always steady and reliable at the back, the kind of defender you can build a team around, plus he’s got this incredible knack for popping up with goals at the most important times. He scored six this season across all those competitions and every one of them was massive (don’t underestimate those Northern League efforts, seeing how they only made top four via goal difference). Not to mention he buried his penalty in the shootout with his team facing defeat if he’d failed.
Goals Scored By Christian Gray in 2025
Equaliser vs Boca Juniors at the Club World Cup (24 Jun)
90+3rd min winner vs Western Springs in the Northern League (27 Jul)
Opener in 2-1 win vs Eastern Suburbs in the Northern League (19 Aug)
87th min equaliser vs Auckland FC in the National League (26 Oct)
77th min goal in must-win vs Coastal Spirit in the National League (6 Dec)
120+2th min equaliser vs Wellington Olympic in the National League Grand Final (13 Dec)
Nor should Nathan Garrow’s emergence be overlooked. Even in the final, he made that huge save to deny Prins in extra time to keep the game alive. He was huge in the first half against Coastal Spirit last week. 21 years old, made a bit of a name for himself with his shot-stopping at the Club World Cup... but that’s not so uncommon when a team is on the defensive all game. It’s the way he’s grown in confidence ever since that really stands out. Very vocal at the back despite the intimidating international pedigree in front of him. Courageous with his decision-making. He’s got a solid frame for a goalie too, which always helps. The way he’s flawlessly taken over from a dude as experienced as Conor Tracey is no small feat.
Haris Zeb was crowned with the Steve Sumner Trophy for Final MVP. There were a number of candidates for that honour from both teams, not easy to narrow it down in a game that swung as drastically as this one did. Had Olympic held on, then Ben Mata should have been up there after another supreme defensive display. Isa Prins came up with some crucial moments while Tor Davenport-Petersen had another stormer in midfield. Also, youngster Luke Stoupe had a huge impact off the bench. For Auckland City, Matt Ellis did exactly what Stoupe did (goal and an assist off the bench, providing the required spark) while Nikko Boxall was imperious at the back and David Yoo, although he got subbed before the goals happened, was involved in all the good stuff up until then. Mario Ilich in midfield too. Lots of candidates... but Haris Zeb is as deserving as any, making things happen with his dribbling throughout a full 120 minutes on the wing. Scored in the shootout. Set up the first goal and helped facilitate the second. Not a bad few months for a bloke who also made his international debut for Pakistan recently (born in Aotearoa but with Pakistani immigrant parents).
They may have scored gigantic goals in the grand final... but neither Matt Ellis nor Luke Stoupe had scored at all during the regular season. Ellis is 24yo, an MVP candidate while with Western Springs last season but he’s been in and out for Auckland City since returning this year. Not as much of an ideal fit for a speedy winger like him but no worries there, he can score them with his head too. Stoupe is 19yo, an U20s loanee from Petone who has popped up off the bench in most games during the Nats, also a skilful wide player who with that one moment alone made his transfer into a genius move. If Olympic aren’t able to retain the rising star of Isa Prins for another year then they could do a lot worse than bringing in Luke Stoupe on a permanent basis.
You’ve gotta feel for those Greeks though. There was absolutely nothing between these teams. Both were on the brink of victory multiple times during this final - Auckland City were seconds away in normal time, Wellington Olympic were seconds away in extra time. Olympic then missed a penalty with the chance to clinch and went on to lose the shootout. It might as well have been a coin toss.
Granted, this does continue a pesky trend of them not quite being able to seal the deal against ACFC. Since the Mediterranean Cup became more of a renowned thing with the club-based National League a few years ago, the pair have played on 13 occasions with Wellington Olympic only winning twice during regular time (both in 2023, including the final). There have been four draws: two decided by shootouts (one each way) and two coming within two-legged OCL qualifiers that Auckland City won on aggregate both times. Auckland City have won 7/13, eight if you include this shootout victory. It’s not entirely one-sided but there’s no doubting that ACFC have the edge. They just always seem to find a way. This was far from ACFC’s most convincing championship but all things considered it’s surely one of their most legendary.
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