History will be made on Sunday at Eden Park in Auckland, when the winner of Oceania’s first professional football competition is crowned, as South Melbourne FC take on Auckland FC in the OFC Pro League final.
The showpiece fixture is 60 years in the making after the Oceania Football Confederation was officially established in 1966, and will live on as an iconic moment for football in the region for years to come.
Sunday’s two finalists, South Melbourne FC and Auckland FC, have been the clear frontrunners throughout the course of the season, losing a total of just five games between them and occupying the top two spots on the table from the competition’s opening weekend.
South Melbourne carry the history of being the Oceania Club of the Century and former OFC Men’s Champions League winners in 1999. Despite now being part of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), they would love nothing more than to add another piece of Oceania football silverware to their ever-growing trophy cabinet.
Their opponents, Auckland FC, are the much newer kids on the block, but as a club have quickly attracted the attention of New Zealand’s largest city, and finished top of the standings during the regular season.
Their A-League team will also host the Grand Final on Saturday evening, marking a huge weekend for the club with two major finals on home soil in two days.
Route to the Final
Despite being neck-in-neck through most of it, Auckland FC finished seven points clear of South Melbourne FC atop the regular season table, both clubs securing a spot in the Leaders Group for Round 6 of the competition in Auckland.
With three wins from three, South Melbourne then reversed roles and topped the Leaders Group ahead of Auckland in second.
Taking on semi-final playoff winners Vanuatu United FC in the first semi-final, Jordan Swibel scored twice to steer South Melbourne to a comfortable 4-0 win.
Meanwhile, Auckland FC were forced to work harder for a 1-0 win over New Zealand rivals South Island United in the second semi-final – Isa Prins coming off the bench to score the winner.
Tale of the Tape
These two have already met three times this season – splitting an even ledger with one win apiece and a draw. The sole stalemate came on South Melbourne’s home turf during Round 3, Jacob Eliopoulos scoring deep into second half stoppage-time to rescue a 1-1 draw.
Auckland FC came from behind to win a 5-goal thriller 3-2 in their second meeting in Round 5 in Ba, marked by the quickest goal of the competition from Liam Gillion inside the first 22 seconds of the contest.
But it’s South Melbourne who tasted victory when they last met 16 days ago at Go Media Stadium in the Leaders Group. Quickfire goals from Jacob Eliopoulos and Sebastian Pasquali helped defeat Auckland FC 2-1 on their own turf.
That latest meeting will no doubt have been re-analysed by both sides this week, ahead of their most important clash of the season on Sunday.
Key Players
Jordan Swibel (South Melbourne FC)
South Melbourne FC have scored 54 goals in 18 games this season – the most of any other in the league – and key has been their 27-year-old striker Jordan Swibel.
Swibel currently sits second on the Golden Boot standings with 10 goals, but could overtake his rival Alex Saniel on Sunday, should he add another two to the double he scored against Vanuatu United FC in the semi-final.
Oscar Mason (Auckland FC)
In comparison, Auckland FC have the best defensive record in the league – conceding just 14 goals in 18 games – and have young 21-year old goalkeeper Oscar Mason to thank.
Mason has kept eight clean sheets between the sticks in his first professional campaign, the most of any other ‘keeper, and has marshalled a strong backline that includes the likes of captain Tass Mourdoukoutas, Ronan Wynne, Zac Zoricich, and Everton O’Leary.
Captain’s Comments
Ahead of the final, South Melbourne captain Marco Jankovic and Auckland Tass Mourdoukoutas met at Eden Park to give their thoughts ahead of the final on Sunday. Only six months ago the pair were lining up against each other in another major final, Jankovic’s South Melbourne side defeating Mourdoukoutas’ Marconi Stallions to win the Australia Championship.
Both are certainly very familiar with one another.
South Melbourne FC captain, Marco Jankovic, said: “The camp’s been really positive. The results since we’ve got to Auckland have been really good and the vibe around the team is strong. We’ll be looking to use that energy.
“There’s a lot of history here at Eden Park. It’s incredible that we’ve been able to play here, and it will be really special to have the first OFC Pro League final here. I think it will be a great game, and I’m hoping we can take the trophy back to Melbourne.”
Auckland FC captain, Tass Mourdoukoutas, added: “We’re ready and really excited. We feel like we’ve prepared really well and had some good results leading into this final. We’re looking to put the cherry on top this weekend.”
“I know South Melbourne’s strengths from playing against them in the Australia Championship final. James Bayliss was with me in that game for Marconi Stallions. We have some inside knowledge, but it’s whether we can stop them or not,” Mourdoukoutas added.
One milestone already achieved by Auckland FC is their qualification for the FIFA Intercontinental Cup™ later this year. With South Melbourne FC being an AFC representative, the qualification slot will go to Auckland FC, regardless of the result on Sunday.
