Auckland United win 3-2 to Birkenhead

Takahashi scored the winning goal to help the team recover from a heavy defeat in the Auckland derby.

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

The team led by star coach José Figueira did not enter the match as favorites against Paul Hobson's team, who were coming off a victory against Christchurch and wanted to extend their winning streak.

The first half in Auckland started early with a goal from Olaoye in the 15th minute, but the Birkenhead team continued to play a balanced game.

The second half started absolutely frantically with Birkenhead's two promising players taking the lead in the 66th minute, Wellsbury equalized, and Donkers put them ahead.

But the team led by star player Emiliano Tade didn't give up and managed to turn the game around with Fay and Takahashi scoring the winning goal in the 80th minute.

The team led by two-time Chatham Cup champion Paul Hobson was eager to string together a winning streak to close the gap on the tournament leaders, but the Auckland team managed to secure the victory and move out of the bottom positions.