Winston Reid leaves the field for the All Whites. Credits: Image – Photosport, video – Newshub
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Australia – Duke, Cummings (penalty)
Fulltime
90th minute + 3 – Bell crosses high, but long and the ball runs away.
And that’s the game, with Australia scoring a convincing 2-0 win, as they prepare for the World Cup. Winston Reid’s career ends with defeat.
90th minute + 2 – Old fires into the box, but the ball is knocked clear.
90th minute + 1 – Three extra minutes to play and Cacace’s hopefull ball towards goal is easily covered by Redmayne.
Australia earn a corner, but they’re just killing time now.
90th minute – Cacace’s ball into the area is knocked clear, but Tuiloma earns a free-kick. Bell’s kick is easily dispatched.
89th minute – Bacchus earns a yellow card for his challenge on Grieve – they’re teammates in clubland, but no love lost.
88th minute – Kuol is open in the area, but Boxall retreats to close down the angle and Sail dives on the deflection.
86th minute – Tuiloma pressures Kuol over the byline for a goal kick.
85th minute – Grieve and Bacchus tangle on halfway, as the All Whites try to spark an attack.
84th minute – Old is on the field for NZ, but he is bustled off the ball at the right corner.
83rd minute – About 34,985 crowd announced at Eden Park for this fixture.
80th minute – GOAL to Cummings
From the spot, Sail dives right and Cummings goes the other way for the second goal.
79th minute – Bell curls a corner into the box, but it’s easily cleared.
Australia break to the other end and Sail makes a great save, before Cacace deflects the ball and then a shot hits the bar. Cacace is called for hand ball and the penalty.
78th minute – Leckie gets away with a shove and surges into the area, but loses the ball and All Whites clear.
77th minute – Tuiloma fires at goal from the free-kick, but it’s wide left.
76th minute – Grieve earns a foul near the edge of the penalty area, but there doesn’t seem like much contact.
75th minute – Storm Roux also enters the game for NZ. Cacace gives Strain a shove to welcome him to the game.
74th minute – Boxall replaces Winston Reid, who receives a standing ovation, as he leaves the field for the final time.
73rd minute – Kuol replaces Tilio for the Socceroos.
71st minute – Metcalf brings Stamenic down in centrefield and earns the foul.
Waine puts a cross from the right, but Garbett’s header is wide left.
70th minute – Waine is brought down by Tilio, who apologises, but he’s booked for foul.
68th minute – All Whites have the ball on the right, but fritter it away into touch. A loose ball lands for Grieve in front of goal, but his shot is straight at Redmayne, who holds on.
67th minute – Grieve tries to send Waine away, but his pass is behind and the Aussie defence converges quickly.
66th minute – Waine chases a long ball into the area, but Redmayne has it covered.
65th minute – Cacace threatens down the right side, but can’t find a target in fromt of goal, as the move breaks down.
64th minute – Reid steals the ball inside the Aussie half and Grieve’s attempted turn and shoot is deflected away for a corner.
62nd minute – Grieve has the ball in the right corner, but is dispossessed. Aussies make three substitutions, including a Socceroos debut for former Wellington Phoenix player Cam Devlin.
61st minute – All Whites defuse a free-kick into the area and break over halfway.
60th minute – Garbett loses the ball in midfield and Australia surge forward again. Tilio is fouled by Bell.
59th minute – Leckie puts a ball into the box, but All Whites clear.
58th minute – Tilio crosses from the left and King tries to deflect past Sail, who dives and smothers the threat.
56th minute – Aussies are now pressing on goal and win a corner, headed away by Payne.
55th minute – Greive replaces Just and they’ll need his scoring ability to bring this game back.
54th minute – Striker Greive prepares to enter the game for NZ.
GOAL to Duke
Metcalfe crosses from the left and Duke rises high to head past Sail for the opening goal.
53rd minute – Tilio connects with a right foot from outside the area, but Sail dives to his left and punches clear.
52nd minute – The corner finds the far post and Sail weakly punches clear, but Garbett is pushed in the back and the All Whites have a chance to clear properly.
51st minute – Genreau evades Bell at the left post and Sail has to scramble the ball dead for a corner.
50th minute – Aussies have a free-kick outside the box and to the left. Genreau looks to the far past and Cacace clears.
The ball is knocked back into the box, but Sail soars to cut off the threat.
48th minute – Aussies try to mount something down the right, but are called for offside.
47th minute – All Whites dispossess the ball on halfway, but Waine’s nudge into the box goes astray.
46th minute – No changes to either side to start the second half. All Whites kick off…
Halftime
45th + 1 minute – Tilio has the ball in the area, but Payne bustles him off the ball, before he can create anything and the half ends in a deadlock.
45th minute – Waine is down on halfway, after colliding with Metcalf. One minute of extra time to play in this half.
43rd minute – Australia create an opportunity that leaves Sail alone against three attackers, but Tilio can’t control the pass and nudge wide left with an open net. Best chance of the game so far.
42nd minute – Garbett enters the box and the ball falls to Stamenic, whose left foot shot barely clears the bar.
41st minute – Waine chases a long ball, but is called for a foul on Delbridge, who lands on the ball and is winded.
39th minute – Just is brought down near halfway and he falls into Leckie, who stays down for a rest.
38th minute – Sail comes out of his area to clear the ball from Leckie, but Aussies have a corner. Sail barely punches the cross away and Australia are still a threat.
37th minute – All Whites steal the ball inside the Aussie half, but they can’t create enough space for a shot.
35th minute – Tuiloma tries a shot at goal from the free-kick, but it’s easily smothered. One of the Aussies is lying on the ground for the wormburner.
34th minute – Waine gets his first touch and wins a free-kick just outside the penalty area, after Delbridge has an arm draped all over him.
32nd minute – Genreau’s boot has disintegrated and needs replacing, but so too does Chris Wood, who has struggled since taking a knock to the ribs. Ben Waine comes on.
31st minute – Aussies have the ball near the NZ area, but the defence is good and comes away.
29th minute – Stamenic called for a foul from behind on Leckie.
27th minute – Long ball from Pijnaker to Garbett is defused by Deng for an NZ throw. Cacace tries to look across goal, but Leckie steals the ball from behind.
25th minute – Bell smothers an Aussie attack down the right and NZ have the ball on halfway. Pijanker’s pass to Cacace is too long, as Payne recovers from a physical challenge.
24th minute – Stamenic and Garbett combine on the edge of the area, but Aussies are over that.
22nd minute – Reid plays a loose pass back to Sail, whose hurriedly clearance finds touch. Aussies immediately turn the ball over and All Whites mount another attack, but Garbett loses control in the box.
21st minute – Stamenic finds Cacace down the left and he enters the box, but his cross is deflected and Redmayne barely covers the loose ball.
20th minute – Stamenic and Bell hassle the Aussie defence into an error down the right, but the All Whites play the ball all the way back to Sail in goal.
19th minute – Play resumes and New Zealand probably enjoying the best chances so far.
17th minute – Nice work from Just creates some room down the left, but the ball runs too far and Atkinson slides into the tackle. The Aussie defender needs medical attention.
16th minute – Bell crosses goal with his corner, but Tuiloma’s header is high and wide.
15th minute – Wood receives a loose ball on the edge of the penalty area and turns, his shot deflected for a corner.
14th minute – Wood is leaving the field, so there goes New Zealand’s most potent attacking weapon. He sips some magic water and re-enters the fray.
13th minute – Aussies mount an attack and let fly a shot, but straight to Sail, who clears quickly. Meanwhile, Wood is holding his side, after colliding with Deng, and his sitting on the ground, seeking medical attention.
12th minute – Bell plays a short corner to Just, but the Aussies have that covered and that’s a wasted opportunity for New Zealand.
11th minute – Cacace gets his cross in this time and King is forced to knock the ball dead for an NZ corner.
10th minute – Cacace tries to cross the ball from the left, but the ball is deflected by Atkinson and Redmayne tidies up. Half-hearted call for hand ball, but no real conviction.
Ninth minute – Sail tries to find Payne on the right side, but he’s in touch when he headers the ball.
Eighth minute – Aussies try to build an attack down the right flank, but Leckie loses his footing and the ball runs dead.
Seventh minute – All Whites defenders interpassing, looking for an opening and eventually put a long ball towards halfway.
Fifth minute – Cacace puts a long ball into the Aussie area, but Redmayne ‘The Grey Wiggle’ advances to defuse the threat.
Fourth minute – All Whites bustling the Aussies off the ball near their own box, but can’t create a shot.
Third minute – Garbett tries to launch an attack down the right flank, but uses his arm to brush off a defender and is called for the foul.
Second minute – Everyone getting an eearly touch of the ball, but an early foul called on Stamenic inside the Aussie half.
First minute – Australia kick off, but All Whites quickly take possession. They’re forced to play back to Sail to launch an attack.
3:58pm – Hay going with a 3-4-3 formation, while Australia play 4-3-3.
Yusuke Araki of Japan will referee this match.
3:54pm – As the teams take the field, Winston Reid is being honoured for his last appearance in the national team, with the crowd giving him a standing ovation.
Fans stand again in a moment’s silence for Queen Elizabeth, who passed away earlier this month.
3:37pm – NZ coach Danny White has named his starting line-up for today’s clash…
All Whites: Sail, Pijnaker, Reid, Tuiloma, Cacace, Payne, Bell, Stamenic, Garbett, Just and Wood
Substitutes: Paulsen, Would, Adams, Boxall, De Jone, Greive, Howieson, Ingham, McCowatt, Old, Roux, Waine, Wynne
Socceroos: Redmayne, Atkinson, Deng, Delbridge, King, Metcalfe, Genreau, McGree, Leckie, Duke, Tilio
Substitutes: Degenek, Strain, Baccus, Boyle, Kuol, Devlin, Cummings, Langerak, Francois
Conditions at Eden Park are perfect and the groundstaff have done a great job turning the pitch around from last night’s All Blacks v Wallabies rugby match.
*****
Kia ora, good afternoon and welcome to Newshub’s live coverage of the football international friendly between New Zealand and Australia at Auckland’s Eden Park.
This home-and-away series was organised when both nations were still battling for sports at the Football World Cup in Qatar later this year, and while the Socceroos have their bags packed for the tournament, the All Whites are still licking their wounds, after a playoff loss to Costa Rica.
They look on these fixtures as a chance to prove they should have been there, bearing in mind they will likely nail down a newly created Oceania spot at the next event anyway.
Coach Danny Hay has a full-strength squad for this rare home game and they put on a good showing at Brisbane during the week, when they went down by a solitary goal.
Hay rued the lack of finishing from his team, which isn’t exactly a new problem, and they desperately need to find someone else except Chris Wood to threaten goal.
More than 35,000 fans have already bought tickets to the Eden Park fortress, which is a formidable venue for the All Blacks, but perhaps not so much for other codes.
The fixture will also be notable for the last appearance of English Premier League trailblazer Winston Reid for his country.
Join us at 4pm for kickoff.
TAB Odds: NZ $2.87, Draw $3, Australia $2.40
All Whites squad: Kyle Adams, Joe Bell, Michael Boxall, Liberato Cacace, Andre De Jong, Matt Garbett, Alex Greive, Cam Howieson, Dane Ingham, Elijah Just, Callum McCowatt, Ben Old, Alex Paulsen, Tim Payne, Nando Pijnaker, Winston Reid, Storm Roux, Oli Sail, Marko Stamenic, Bill Tuiloma, Ben Waine, Chris Wood, Michael Woud, Deklan Wynne
Socceroos squad: Nathaniel Atkinson, Keanu Baccus, Aziz Behich, Martin Boyle, Jason Cummings, Milos Degenek, Harrison Delbridge, Thomas Deng, Cameron Devlin, Mitchell Duke, Tyrese Francois, Denis Genreau, Ajdin Hrustic, Jackson Irvine, Fran Karacic, Joel King, Garang Kuol, Mitch Langerak, Mathew Leckie, Jamie Maclaren, Riley McGree, Awer Mabil, Connor Metcalfe, Aaron Mooy, Andrew Redmayne, Maty Ryan, Trent Sainsbury, Ryan Strain, Adam Taggart, Marco Tilio, Bailey Wright