95th-minute equaliser rescues Auckland FC in wild clash: 'Football ...
A Neyder Moreno free-kick in the fifth minute of stoppage time not only salvaged a 2-2 draw for leaders Auckland FC against Melbourne City but preserved their unbeaten start to the 2024-25 Isuzu UTE A-League season.
Just as City looked to be holding on for a shock victory at AAMI Park, substitute Moreno’s 95th-minute set-piece could not be kept out by Patrick Beach on Sunday evening.
A wild and contentious four-minute sequence almost led to Auckland’s demise in Melbourne, where Moreno thought he had put the visiting side ahead in the 74th minute as he and his team-mates celebrated passionately before VAR intervened, deeming there was an offside in the build-up to the goal.
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City then flipped the match on its head five minutes later, albeit in fortuitous circumstances when Nando Pijnaker’s backpass somehow evaded Auckland goalkeeper Alex Paulsen as it bounced into the back of the net but Colombian recruit Moreno had the final say in a topsy-turvy Round 8 encounter after Guillermo May had cancelled out Medin Memeti’s first-half opener.
Auckland remain top of the table by two points, while City are fourth and six points off the pace heading into the Melbourne Derby.
Playing just their second game outside of New Zealand, Auckland were aiming to become just the fourth team to win their first seven games of an Australian men’s national league season, after Melbourne Knights (1994-95), Perth Glory (2001-02) and Melbourne Victory (2006-07), with Perth Glory holding the record for best winning start (eight games in 2001-02).
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But they were without three important players at AAMI Park – Dan Hall, Cam Howieson and Louis Verstraete as 19-year-old Finn McKenlay came in for his debut.
There was some end-to-head football in warm Melbourne conditions as injured City trio Marco Tilio, Mathew Leckie and Andrew Nabbout all watched from the stands, while former assistant Ralph Napoli was also a notable onlooker after leaving to pursue a coaching opportunity abroad.
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It was City who struck first in the 19th minute thanks to 17-year-old young gun Memeti. After Yonatan Cohen’s shot from the edge of the area was kept out by Paulsen, Andreas Kuen was the architect was moments later as he found the club’s youngest ever Isuzu UTE A-League goalscorer Memeti, who poked the ball through the legs of the Auckland goalkeeper.
The goal meant it was the first time Auckland had trailed this season and the Black Knights struggled against City’s press throughout the opening half.
But it took Auckland just eight minutes of the second half to restore parity via May, who was left unmarked as he glanced a header into the back of the net.
Steven Ugarkovic found the back of the net in the 68th minute but as the City midfielder wheeled away in celebration, the linesman raised his flag for offside.
Auckland thought they had taken the lead when Moreno headed the ball into the back of the net 15 minutes from the end. But much to the visitors’ dismay, a VAR review led to the goal being chalked off.
Just as City thought they were trailing, they found themselves ahead four minutes later – benefiting from an unfortunate own goal. Pijnaker’s backpass took a bobble as it sensationally bounced past Paulsen and into the back of the net.
“Football can be a crazy, crazy game,” said Paramount+ commentator Simon Hill.
That was not the end of the drama as Beach fluffed his save after attempting to keep out Moreno’s last-gasp free-kick.
