Amateur Team Auckland City, Kang Ho Boca Jr.
Auckland City FC (New Zealand), composed of amateur, scored a thrilling goal on the club World Cup stage. Although he did not go to the round of 16, the players cheered for their first goal and draw.
Auckland City scored a 1-1 draw as a header of defender Christian Gray in the second half of the 6th minute in the match against Boca Junior (Argentina) in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup Group C.
Auckland failed to advance to the round of 16 with Boca Jr. (2 draws and 1 loss) with 1 draw and 2 losses. However, as if they washed the pain of the group league first Bayern Munich (0-10) and the 2nd Benfica (0-6), they won the draw with the first goal of the competition.
In the second half of the 6th minute, Auckland was 0-1, and in the corner, Gray defeated the ball from the side to his head. Fellow players also cheered as the first goal broke out.
Auckland is considered the weakest of the 32 clubs in this tournament. There is no professional league in New Zealand. However, since the regional Kang Ho moved to the Asian Football Federation, Auckland has been a major competition as a sign club for the Oceania Football Federation.
Players are not only a professional in football. Most of them have main businesses such as teachers, students, pharmaceutical employees, delivery departments, and real estate brokers. In this competition, they made their own annual.
Naturally, in the first and second legs, the world was greatly lost, and in the 3rd game, the 26th minute of the goalkeeper Nathan Gaewon seemed to be repeated.
But the Auckland players were desperately defended, and Boca Jr.’s tangled shooting was hit by a goal or lucky to get in the hands of the goalkeeper. Eventually, Auckland went through 39 shots of Boca Junior, and made a dramatic draw by successfully one of the three shots.
Gray, a sports teacher, said in an interview after the game, “We rely on volunteer. There is not much money. (With draw) I am happy that everyone is happy.”
Kim Chang -geum, senior reporter kimck@hani.co.kr
