Premiers Auckland FC will return to New Zealand with a fairytale A-League Men grand final berth within touching distance after snatching a 1-0 win in their away semi-final leg against Melbourne Victory.
New Zealand international Logan Rogerson headed home in the 64th minute in front of 14,121 fans at AAMI Park to hand Steve Corica’s newcomers a vital lead ahead of next Saturday’s second leg.
The winners will likely face Melbourne City, who are up 3-0 over Western United in the other semi-final.
Auckland are chasing an extraordinary premiership-championship double in their first season.
Victory will head to Auckland’s Go Media Stadium with their grand final hopes alive but a defensive injury crisis to overcome after Brendan Hamill went down with an apparent serious right knee injury.
Victory, already without first-choice goalkeeper Mitch Langerak (foot), suffered a pre-game blow when captain Roderick Miranda was ruled out with a lower leg issue.
Hamill started as skipper in his place but went down in a tackle in the 56th minute screaming in agony and grabbing at his right knee.
The distraught defender previously tore his left ACL when playing at Western United in 2020, and Victory will hope he has avoided the dreaded injury.
It was a sour note in an otherwise entertaining affair where Victory couldn’t manufacture a shot that could beat Auckland’s ominous defence or goalkeeper Alex Paulsen.
Jordi Valadon skimmed the ball just off-target in the 20th minute, and three minutes later Victory striker Nikos Vergos appealed for a penalty from a challenge from Dan Hall but was offside.
Seven minutes later, Auckland’s Marlee Francois came desperately close with a backheel.
Just after Hamill’s injury, Victory unsuccessfully appealed for a handball penalty by Nando Pijnaker from a Daniel Arzani shot.
Shortly afterwards, Joshua Rawlins – who had just replaced Hamill – almost latched on to an Arzani free kick, but Paulsen cleared it away.
Then Auckland pounced.
Frances De Vries whipped in a tantalising cross and with Victory left-back Kasey Bos caught ball-watching, Rogerson ghosted in to head home.
Auckland’s Guillermo May netted in the 72nd minute but was offside.
Neyder Moreno thought he’d made it 2-0 in the 95th minute but his shot clattered off both goal posts and into the excellent Jack Duncan’s arms.
https://thewest.com.au/sport/soccer/auckland-beat-injury-hit-victory-for-alm-semi-edge-c-18727074
