Auckland City FC 1, Boca Juniors 1.
A team of part-timers from Sandringham holding the famed South American giants. One of the biggest clubs from the land of Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi, from the country of the current world champions, from the No 1-ranked football nation on earth. Against a group of players that took leave from their jobs to be in the United States.
This wasn’t in anybody’s script, especially after Auckland City’s struggles in the first two matches, including the 10-0 hammering at the hands of Bayern Munich. But they defended defiantly in the first half – helped by the woodwork at times – before defender Christian Gray’s historic goal in the 52nd minute.
The 28-year-old defender, who is a trainee teacher, rose highest to power home from their first corner, outmuscling his marker with an emphatic header from six yards.
It was a magic moment – sparking celebrations of pure joy by the men in Navy Blue – while the thousands of Boca Juniors fans couldn’t quite believe it.
After six days of misery, as they conceded 16 goals in two matches against Bayern Munich and Benfica, with their suffering beamed worldwide, this was quite something. It adds to the proud legacy of Auckland FC, as one of the best performances in the club’s history, up there with their efforts at the 2009 and 2014 Fifa Club World Cups.
They’ll leave the tournament on a bit of a high, knowing that the painful journey has been worthwhile.
Twenty-year-old Nathan Garrow managed another heroic performance in goal, while the central back three of Nikko Boxall, Christian Gray and Adam Mitchell were superb. But everyone played their part.
Boca had a staggering 41 shots – with 10 on target – and hit the post and the crossbar at different times. But Auckland City were able to hold them at arm’s length for long periods and managed some neat sequences in possession and on attack.
Boca Juniors had drawn 2-2 with Benfica and lost narrowly to Bayern Munich, going down 2-1 – but couldn’t get their game going here. The match was also disrupted by a break of almost an hour early in the second half, due to nearby thunder and lightning. When the teams returned, the other match in Group C was already over, with Benfica edging the German team, which meant Boca were eliminated.
The game kicked off in unforgiving temperatures of 36C but Auckland City FC looked more composed from the start. They had learnt lessons from the first two matches and were showing the benefits of a few weeks in a professional-like environment.
While they still depended on a defensive low block – and Boca Juniors commanded most of the ball and territory – the Oceania champions were more structured and organised. The central back three of Boxall, Gray and Mitchell were resolute and as a team, they did better to shut down the wide threats. It meant that the Argentines didn’t have too many first-half chances.
Their 26th-minute goal came from a corner, with Lautaro Di Lollo’s header hitting the inside of the post then bouncing off Garrow and over the line. Despite that, Auckland City stayed strong, with some promising offensive moments, though lacking the final moment of quality. They also had some luck, with Boca Juniors finding the woodwork twice in the space of a minute. First, midfielder Carlos Palacios hit the crossbar from outside the area with a driven effort – gathered safely by Garrow – before Miguel Merentiel directed a header against the post with their next attack.
Then came Gray’s moment, setting up one of the most unlikely scenarios in New Zealand football history. A few minutes later, the players left the field with thunderstorms and lightning in the nearby Nashville city centre. After the lengthy break, it was going to be a mental challenge to return.
Boca Juniors thought they had regained the lead minutes later but the strike from Merentiel was chalked off following a VAR (video assistant referee) check after a handball by Kevin Zenon. There was plenty of pressure in the final 30 minutes but Auckland dealt with the threats, mainly limiting Boca to crosses and long-range shots.
Garrow had to be alert with a couple of sharp saves, while the youngster had a nervous moment late on, with an ineffectual punch. Auckland City had a second corner deep in the six minutes of added time – but couldn’t make anything of it – before Garrow negated Boca’s final attack, timing his sliding challenge perfectly to get to the ball first.
Boca Juniors 1 (Own goal 26th minute)
Auckland City FC 1 (Christian Gray 52nd minute)
Halftime: 0-1