NZ Football's Stocks Keep Rising

TP Mazembe 2-Auckland City 3

Wow. This is an incredible result. I think it is actually more incredible than their first victory and clean sheet over the host nation club. In many ways it is even more incredible than the All Whites making the World Cup (but not as significant in terms of global reach and the ongoing potential); being as it was a sustained performance against quality opposition in a tournament on foreign soil.

But Auckland City's victories take on even more significance coming so soon after the All Whites entry into the World Cup. It is the proverbial icing on the cake.

You would have to say that it has been a stellar year for NZ footie. The stocks are rising, and despite my early reservations that the lucrative pay-out would be locked away north of the Bombay Hills, indications are that the windfall will drift down State Highway one- all NZFC clubs will benefit in some way.

Quite apart from the money, all NZ football clubs have already benefited. Football is leading the news headlines once again. Only the most naive amongst us think this is a permanent reversal-it isnt. Rugby is king and probably will be for a very long time. But football is gaining profile and credibility, and it has been a long time coming.

Messrs Dickinson, Coombes, Hayne, Van Steeden et al should be congratulated for the part they have played in this special piece of drama. They have scored some very golden goals indeed.

The Jaffas roll Al-Ahli

Absolutely magic result at the FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates overnight. NZFC side Auckland City has rolled out 2-0 winners over hometown heroes Al-Ahli.

Hot on the heels of the All White's WC qualification, this inaugural win at the Club World Cup is another shot in the arm for the local game, netting Auckland City a cool $1 million pay out and earning them a crack at Mexican champs Atlante.

(It is not necesarily good news for Team Wellington's bid to trim back the Auckland club football hegemony however-but I digress)

What I particularly like about this win was that, on the highlights at least, it didn't seem like an ugly, backs to the wall, last minute scramble type of win.

A class cross and tidy finish by Adam Dickinson at the end of the first half, followed by a wonder strike by Chad Coombes that would be at home in a Christiano Ronaldo highlights reel means that ACFC won with a certain amount of class- something that NZ teams have been criticised as lacking in the past.

But play of the match for me was not the Coombes' goal itself, rather fellow scorer Dickinson's instinctive duck under Coombes' cannonball, seen at 55 secs on the following video. The shot was heading straight for him and he reacted smartly to avoid it. I think the appropriate headline is:

Dickinson's Duck Saves Auckland's Golden Goose!