2009 O-LEAGUE – AUCKLAND NET EIGHT TO OVERPOWER PORT VILA

AUCKLAND – Auckland City dispatched Port Vila Sharks 8-1 at Kiwitea Street on Saturday to move to the top of Group A in the 2009 OFC Champions League. Winger Chad Coombes lead the way with a hat-trick but strikers Paul Urlovic and Milos Nikolic chimed in with two goals each and Alex Feneridis made up for a first half own-goal with a superb long range effort early in the second half.

The home side were always in control and could have hit double figures if Urlovic and Nikolic didn’t spurn three good chances between them in the first half.

City are now three points clear of Waitakere United, who still have a trip to Port Vila to come before the two New Zealand sides wrap up pool play with a match to decide who makes the two-legged final and gets a shot at represent Oceania at the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi.

Auckland coach Paul Posa was more than satisfied with the comprehensive win.

“We played with heaps of enthusiasm and took our chances a lot better than we certainly have been,” Posa said.

“I’m just very pleased with the team. It was just what we needed, and the guys responded very well today. They deserve a lot of credit.”

While Auckland temperatures were tropical midweek, Posa admitted a cool and wet Kiwitea Street suited the 2006 O-League champions.

“We were pleased this morning to see a bit of rain and feel the temperature come down a bit from earlier in the week.

“In these conditions pressure tells. We created enough pressure and backed it up with good finishing.”

Coombes was in destructive form for Auckland, teeing up Urlovic for a well-taken ninth minute opener, before grabbing the first of his own with a fierce low shot from the right hand edge of the area in the 22nd minute.

Alex Feneridis won a penalty on the half hour mark – which Milos Nikolic duly converted – but ended the half by unluckily glancing a Port Vila corner into his own net.

Coombes didn’t know much about Auckland’s fourth, scoring off the back of his head as he challenged the Port Vila keeper for Milos Nikolic’s left wing cross, but completed his hat-trick in classy fashion, with a crisp one-on-one finish through the legs of David Chilia with 13 minutes remaining.

In between, Urlovic made it 5-1 with a deft back-post header while Feneridis added City’s sixth with a low drive past Chilia just before the hour mark.

Coombes’ final contribution was to draw goalkeeper Chilia into a save outside his area – with the resulting red card leaving Port Vila with ten men for the final ten minutes.

The ensuing free-kick was tucked past the Sharks’ wall and substitute keeper Alfred Malas by Nikolic to complete the scoring.

2009 O-LEAGUE MATCH DAY 4

Group A

Saturday 14 February, 2009

Auckland City: 8 (Goal Scorers: Paul Urlovic 9, 71; Chad Coombes 22, 47, 77; Milos Nikolic 30-pen, 81; Alex Feneridis 59) Port Vila Sharks 1

Port Vila:  (Own goal (Alex Feneridis) 40).

Halftime: 3-1

Auckland City: 1-Ross NICHOLSON (GK), 2-Jonathan RAJ, 5-Matt WILLIAMS (4-Sam CAMPBELL 75), 6-Ki-Hyung LEE (25-Adam McGEORGE 61), 7-James PRITCHETT, 8-Chad COOMBES (23-Liam MULROONEY 80), 9-Paul URLOVIC, 11-Alex FENERIDIS, 15-Ivan VICELICH, 20-Greg UHLMANN, 24-Milos NIKOLIC

Substitutes not used: 17-Allan CARELLA, 19-Salesh KUMAR, 29-John FLETCHER (RGK).

Coach: Paul POSA

Cautions: Ki-Hyung LEE 18, James PRITCHETT 54

Port Vila Sharks: 1-David CHILIA (GK), 3-Jacques MAFIL NAWAN (22-Alfred MALAS RGK/79), 4-Ken MASAUVAKLO, 5-Freskip VATU (10-Richard IWAI 57), 6-Fedy VAVA, 7-Moise POIDA, 9-Jean Nako NAPRAPOL, 13-Francois SAKAMA, 17-Geoffrey Lego GETE, 18-Robert TOM, 23-Fenedy MASAUVAKALO (25-Jonah TURU 89).

Substitutes not used: 8-Pita David MAKI, 19-Kaison MAKI, 29-Ashille TARISSA.

Coach: Robert CALVO

Cautions: Robert TOM 16, Freskip VATU 28, Richard IWAI 60,

Red Card: David CHILIA 79

Group A Standings

Story and photo courtesy www.nzfootball.co.nz