Cam Howieson of Auckland FC holds his face in dejection as Melbourne Victory players celebrate their 2-0 win, A-League semi-final, 2025. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz
The disappointment for Auckland FC and coach Steve Corica is going to linger for a long time.
The A-League men's premiership winners fell at the season's penultimate hurdle on Saturday night, when they lost 2-0 to Melbourne Victory before 29,000 fans at Mt Smart Stadium in the second leg of their semifinal tie.
Auckland FC just needed a draw to go through, but it is the Victory - with a 2-1 aggregate score - who will play Melbourne City in the grand final this Saturday.
Corica railed after the game about a ruling that denied them a goal after Logan Rogerson headed a Guillermo May high cross into the net in the 69th minute.
It appeared that the linesman had judged that May's cross had drifted out of play before the goal.
"The referees made a bad decision -the linesman has and so has the VAR, whoever is in charge up there because that would have obviously helped us get back into the game," Corica said.
His attitude had not changed when he spoke to RNZ's Morning Report on Monday.
"Pretty disappointed still, just the way the game finished with the disallowed goal. For us, it probably would have changed the game.
"I think it would have helped us. Obviously goals change the momentum of games and also if we scored that, the game would have gone to extra time and I think we were looking the stronger of the teams to finish well.''
That said, he acknowledged Victory's performance.
"Melbourne were a good team, they obviously deserve to be in the final now. It's just a little bit disappointing with that disallowed goal, it doesn't sit too well for me.
"It's going to be a long off-season I suppose, thinking about that too much.
Auckland FC's head coach Steve Corica during the A-League men's second leg semifinal against Melbourne Victory. Photo: Shane Wenzlick / www.photosport.nz
"Overall I am really proud of the players and all the staff, it's been an incredible season for us winning the premiership in our first year. But we probably finished one game short, I think."
Corica did not feel that just needing a draw to make the grand final affected the players' thinking.
"I don't think so, that wasn't our mindset going into the game. I don't think we were at our very best, I think they changed a little bit, their structure, which they hadn't done all season. I think that was a little bit harder for us to break them down - they went more defensive, so they were quite solid, and we were finding it tough to get into good areas and create a lot of chances.
"That is why that disallowed goal would have been so important for us - because it would have helped us and momentum would have changed, and we would have had a very good opportunity to move forward into a grand final.
"But that's in hindsight now. It is hard to take but I suppose that is football, sometimes you get the luck go your way and sometimes you don't.
Despite the disappointment, the club had plenty to celebrate in its inaugural season.
"We've broken a lot of records, won the premiership in our first season, we have had over 200,000 supporters come through the gates, that's amazing really, I think we are the highest crowd in the A-League," Corica said.
"The derbies have been amazing as well this season. And I have told the players and the staff that I am really proud of what they have achieved in their first year. It's never easy to build a squad and win a premiership in your first year.
"Our aim was to get into the grand final and win that as well - that is going to have to be on hold until next year.
"Maybe that is a real motivation to go one better next year."
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