Auckland win OCL title
Auckland City win thrilling OFC Champions League 2023 final 4-2 over Suva FC
Auckland City FC have survived a ferocious final fightback to beat Suva FC 4-2 in extra time at Freshwater Stadium in Port Vila and successfully defend their OFC Champions League title.
Up 2-0 at halftime, Auckland City battled a rampant opposition, extreme heat, the loss of key midfielder Gerard Garriga to a red card, and a Fijian-friendly home crowd to claim their 11th title and will now represent the Oceania region at the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia this December.
After conceding in the dying stages of the match, it was Auckland City captain – and player of the tournament – Cam Howieson, playing in his 160th match for the club, who scored his 34th – and potentially most important – goal in the 18th minute of extra time to take the fizz out of the crowd.
Ryan De Vries put the final nail in the coffin at the end of extra time, to secure a 4-2 win for Auckland.
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Boring. Would be interesting to see how they do against South East Asian competition.