Auckland City were eliminated from the FIFA Intercontinental Cup in the first round after losing 6–2 to Asian Club Champions Al Ain.
The Oceania club champions conceded two early goals and two more in added time but were competitive in the intervening periods.
Goals from Jargon Lagos and debutant Myer Bevan put Auckland City at 3-2 after the break but, as Auckland City manager Albert Riera said after the match, “we were run out of steam”.
In hot and humid conditions at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, the home team got off to a bright start with a header from Fabio Cardoso after six minutes.
A long-range shot from Seko Baba extended Al Ain's lead to two goals in the 12th minute.
New Zealand played calmly and reduced the deficit in the 43rd minute when Jerugon Lagos scored directly from a corner kick, his curling ball eluding everyone in a packed box.
Al Ain added a third in added time of first half through a goal from Matias Palacios.
Auckland City silenced the huge home crowd with their second goal, a close-range tap-in from new signing Myer Bevan after some clever passing.
READ MORE: All White striker Myer Bevan named in Auckland City's Intercontinental Cup squad >>>>
Bevan had signed for City prior to the match after leaving Canadian Premier League club Cavalry FC.
The game was tied with 30 minutes to go, but Al Ain were patient and wore down the Auckland players.
With the heat and fatigue beginning to take their toll and City on the offensive, their opponents' Soufian Rahimi scored the best goal of the match in the 78th minute and then added two more in added time.
The win means Al Ain will face Egyptian champions Al Ahly in October.
Auckland City return home to take on Birkenhead United on Sunday in their opening match of the Men's National League season.
Albert Riera… “I ran out of legs.”
Auckland City manager Albert Riera said he was proud of his team's performance and encouraged his players to play without fear and regret.
They gave it their all but the heat and fatigue got to the visitors in the final 20 minutes and “we just ran out,” he said.
Match Stats (Al Ain/Auckland City)
Ball Possession: 61% / 39%
Shots: 27 / 10
Shots on goal: 16 / 6
Corners: 8 / 5
Offside: 2 / 0
result
The match took place on Monday, September 23, 2024
Al Ain 6 (Fabio Cardoso 6', Sekou Baba 12', Matias Palacios 45+7', Soufian Rahimi 78', 90+4', Alejandro Romera 90+3')
Auckland City 2 (Jargon Lagos 43', Meyer Bevan 55')
FIFA Intercontinental Cup
Six clubs have qualified to play in the cup competition.
Auckland City (New Zealand, OFC Men's Champions League winners) Al Ain (UAE, AFC Men's Champions League winners) Real Madrid (Spain, UEFA Champions League winners) CF Pachuca (Mexico, CONCACAF Champions Cup winners) Al Ahly SC (Egypt, CAF Champions League winners) To be determined (South American 2024 Copa Libertadores winners, final decision on November 30th)
This story was first published on September 23, 2024.
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