Auckland FC Beat Adelaide United To Secure First A-League Grand Final Appearance

Saturday, 16 May 2026, 8:50 pm
Article: RNZ

Felicity Reid, Sports Journalist

Auckland FC shut out Adelaide United's attack and the outside noise to secure their first A-League grand final appearance.

An achievement that coach Steve Corica has been striving towards since he joined the club three years ago, when he had no players, no equipment and no confirmed home ground, but also leaves the veteran of the league a little bit torn about what he wants to happen next.

A 3-0 win in the second semifinal in Adelaide on Friday night was a result that defied the odds.

It was the first time Auckland had scored three goals in 90 minutes since late February, and the first clean sheet in the same length of time.

It ended Adelaide's 11-game unbeaten streak and silenced a sold-out home crowd that had not seen the Reds lose at Coopers Stadium on a Friday this season.

For Corica the 4-1 victory on aggregate goals with his "walking wounded" squad was a way to keep the doubters quiet and prove he had the right plan to get the club to the very last game of the season.

"It was a very big talk that we had this week leading into the game, we knew everyone wrote us off so that was motivation," Corica said.

"But we knew what we had in the changing room.

"We know we've had our fair share of injuries, and we still have, but we showed the depth in the squad as well."

Corica praised the defensive efforts that limited Adelaide's attack to just one shot on target in a match that history suggested could have ended in a draw like it did in Auckland last week.

"We defended really well, we set up well, the boys were animals really.

"We did well in both boxes and I'm extremely proud of the effort, the performance as well.

"We know they're a good footballing team but we didn't allow them to play their stuff."

After falling short at the semifinal stage last season, despite winning the Premiers Plate, Corica said the team had learned from the experience.

"We wanted to remain calm coming into the game as well. We didn't want to get too excited about it because then we don't perform at a good level.

"But the boys, you could see they were up for it from the start defensively."

As most clubs across the league would have, Corica and the players had set out a goal of getting to - and winning - the grand final this season.

Where Corica is conflicted is about who he wants his side to face in the biggest game of the season.

The other semifinal, between Newcastle Jets and Sydney FC, will be played on Saturday night in Newcastle.

If Sydney win, Auckland will host the grand final.

If Newcastle win, Auckland will be on the road to McDonald Jones Stadium with the opportunity to lift silverware for the second season in a row.

Corica said it would be "very nice" to be playing at home in a grand final - the only catch is it would be against the club he played, captained, coached and won A-League titles for.

"It's also going to be a little bit emotional if that happens."

By winning in front of a parochial Adelaide crowd on Friday, Auckland further cemented their road form this season so Corica was also prepared to take on the reigning premiers at their home ground.

Wherever Auckland's history-making match takes place next week, Corica and players are one win away from securing the trophy that has been missing from their cabinet.

© Scoop Media

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