Auckland City claim NZFC minor premiership

Auckland City bounced back from a goal down and a man down to clinch their third national soccer league minor premiership with an emphatic 3-1 win over Canterbury United in Christchurch today.

An evenly-balanced New Zealand Football Championship (NZFC) match exploded just before halftime when Auckland City and New Zealand midfielder Chad Coombes was sent off by referee Matt Conger after he received a second caution for a crunching tackle on a Canterbury player.

The drama continued when Canterbury United took the lead from the resulting free kick taken by Aaron Clapham in the 43rd minute. That lead lasted only two minutes when Jason Hayne seized on a defensive error to lash home the equaliser and his sixth NZFC goal of the season.

The second half saw Auckland goalkeeper Jacob Spoonley keep his side in the match with important saves from Paul Dirou and Aaron Clapham. That defensive resilience was rewarded when Daniel Koprivcic scored past Canterbury goalkeeper Tom Batty with 13 minutes remaining.

With Canterbury needing two goals to make an impact on the semifinal picture, Auckland substitute Paul Urlovic wrapped up the match and the minor premiership when he scored Auckland's third goal in the 86th minute.

Victory sees Auckland City claim the minor premiership with one game to spare and extends their unbeaten run to 13 matches. If they can avoid defeat against Manawatu in their final match on April 2, they will become the first NZFC club to go unbeaten in their regular season fixtures.

Meanwhile, Canterbury United - who needed a win to claim third place and a semifinal against Waitakere United - remain in fourth place and will now face Auckland City at home in the first leg of the semifinals on April 4 with the secondnd leg scheduled for April 11 in Auckland.

In the other semifinal, Wellington will host Waitakere United on April 4 with the return match scheduled for April 11.

- NZPA