Auckland Fc Vs Adelaide United Opens Semi-Final At Go Media Stadium
auckland fc vs adelaide united lands in the first leg of the A-League Men semi-final on Saturday, May 9 at Go Media Stadium, with Auckland hosting after finishing 3rd and Adelaide United ending the regular season 2nd. The tie is spread over two legs, so the opening match sets the platform rather than settling the series.
Go Media Stadium first leg
Auckland will kick off at 4:00pm AEST against a side that finished one place above them on the final table. Adelaide United arrive after a week off, while Auckland are coming straight out of a penalty shootout that pushed them into the final four.
That path came through a 1-1 draw with Melbourne City in the elimination final, a match Auckland won 7-6 on penalties. Guillermo May scored Auckland’s late equaliser, Medin Memeti answered late for Melbourne City, and Michael Woud then saved a penalty from Nathaniel Atkinson before Dan Hall converted the decisive kick.
Corica on the two legs
Steve Corica has already set the tone for the tie. “We know as a team what they have to do each week. This was a do or die match, next couple of games, we don’t have to win it in the first game. Obviously at home, we’d like to, but we know it goes over two legs,” he said.
He also pointed to the goalkeeper situation after Oli Sail was injured, saying of Woud: “He’s responded really well. Obviously Oli Sail got injured but he (Woud) bounced back and hasn’t looked back, and he showed his quality again tonight with the penalty save.” Corica added, “When we needed him to step up, he made a great save.”
Auckland and Adelaide pressure
The first leg carries a clear edge for Auckland because they are at home, but Corica has framed the task more cautiously than the venue might suggest. “They are a good team, which nicked second spot off us. So I’m looking forward to it, it’s going to be very exciting,” he said.
Adelaide midfielder Ethan Alagich described his side’s week off as “a bit of a freshen up,” and that rest gives them a different route into the semi-final than Auckland’s knockout-heavy run. Corica said his players are where they wanted to be, but the final remains two games away, and the first one is only the start of that climb.
