Auckland City win 4-2 to Auckland United in Derby

Star player Ryan de Vries scored the winning goal in the derby and equaled the Auckland City record for appearances, previously held by Emiliano Tade with 242 games (he now plays for Auckland United).

Writer by Sports & News Continental | From New Zealand, OFC

The team managed by Peter Posa started the derby needing a win to close the gap on the leaders and were considered strong favorites in the match, unlike their local rivals who were coming off a victory but had a disappointing season overall.

The match started difficult for Spanish coach José Figuera with an early goal from Pakistani prospect Haris Zeb, but a few minutes later Olaoye equalized from the penalty spot. However, the joy lasted less than 5 minutes when star player Garriga put Auckland City ahead, and academy player Dalziell soon after scored the third.

The second half started somewhat balanced, but Peter Posa's team always had more control and the best chances, and in the 61st minute, one of the team's stars, Ryan de Vries, scored the fourth goal, making it a rout, with Takahashi scoring another consolation goal for Auckland United from the penalty spot.

Now 5 points behind the leader and with one game less, the current continental champion team is definitively entering the title race, while the team of star coach Jose Figueira is finding it really difficult to achieve anything other than fighting for a mid-table position.