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Auckland FC humiliate Phoenix to complete clean sweep in NZ A-League derby
Joey Lynch, AAP • February 22nd, 2025 7:00 pm
Photo: AAP
Auckland FC have crowned themselves kings of New Zealand football after destroying Wellington 6-1, securing a whitewash of their Kiwi rivals in their first A-League Men campaign.
Having already taken maximum points from two previous meetings, Steve Corica's side was ruthless at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday, Neyder Moreno's hat-trick powering them to a famous win in front of a record 27,009-strong crowd.
The result also stretched the expansion franchise's lead atop the table to eight points, continuing their premiership push.
Moreno netted his first goal in the 31st minute, pouncing on a loose ball and rifling home.
He had a second just five minutes later, again in the right spot at the right time when a cross deflected down to him and sat up for a half-volley.
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Ghosting clear of his marker at the back post, Logan Rogerson headed home to grab his first of the game in the 40th minute, completing a rampant 10 minutes for the hosts.
Luke Brooke-Smith gave the visitors some hope after the restart when he became the Phoenix's youngest-ever goalscorer in the 49th minute.
However, the momentum was soon snuffed out when the 16-year-old had a pass across his penalty area snatched by Moreno in the 61st, with the Colombian firing into the bottom corner for his third.
A long-range laser from Rogerson piled on further pain in the 80th minute, and the rout was completed by Jesse Randall in the 93rd minute, putting a bow on a humiliating defeat for the Phoenix and dominant opening season in the league's newest rivalry for Auckland.
Far from the lofty heights of their rivals, the Phoenix slipped further into the mire at the foot of the table, languishing in 11th place as the memories of last season's second-placed finish keep fading.
