Auckland FC beat Adelaide United 3-0 at Coopers Stadium on Sunday to advance 4-1 on aggregate to the Isuzu Ute A-League Grand Final, finishing a semifinal tie that had been billed as a test of nerve and travel but ended as a one-sided statement. Sam Cosgrove said his side had been due a performance like that and that the crowd was silenced early.
Cosgrove said coming to Coopers Stadium was not a problem for Auckland on the day, and he felt they took control after getting the first goal. He said the team had been dominant, in control and always looked capable of adding more, which it did in a result that if the headline was about the scoreline, was really about how completely Auckland seized the night.
The weight of the win was clear from the first half. Adelaide were on top in the first 15 minutes, but Steve Corica said Auckland settled, then became excellent for the rest of the game. He said he was over the moon and proud of the discipline and ruthlessness his players showed in front of goal to win 3-0.
The match had been set up by a finals tie that back to Coopers Stadium with little room for error, and Auckland made the most of it. Corica said the opening spell belonged to Adelaide, but once his team found its rhythm it took control and never let go. Auckland’s victory sends it to the Grand Final with momentum and leaves Adelaide’s season to end in front of home fans.
For Adelaide, the frustration was raw. Robbie Cornthwaite said the team bottled it and said he could not remember them playing worse apart from a 0-4 loss to Central Coast. Airton Andrioli also pointed to the way the goals went in, saying they were a little bit easy and came in the wrong moments of the game. One of those moments was in the 24th minute, when Anselmo’s involvement was identified by Andrioli as a key point in how the contest swung.
The night left Auckland one step from the title and Adelaide searching for answers after a heavy home defeat. Corica said there was still one more game to go and did not want his side getting carried away, but the size of this win made the next step feel like the one they had been building toward all season.
