Auckland City and Eastern Suburbs clashed at Kiwitea Street in the first matchweek of 2020-21 ISPS Handa Men’s Premiership, the most important football league from New Zealand, and the Navy Blues grabbed three important points by beating their opponents by 1-0.
It was a special match for Mario Bilen who was playing his 150th match for Auckland City. However, he did not have much time to celebrate as he left the pitch with an ankle injury in the 12th minute. Bilen was not the only player who got injured in this match as his teammate Logan Rogerson also left the pitch due to a hamstring issue. Alfie Rogers and Andrew Blake also faced problems caused by head knocks in the game.
Eastern Suburbs also had to deal with injuries: Josh Rogerson left the game in the eighth minute with a shoulder injury while Adam Thomas was replaced by Robert Sabo in the second half due to a groin injury. Dan Edwards was another player who had problems after a collision with Auckland City’s Andrew Blake.
The only goal of the match was netted in the 66th minute when Argentinian forward Emiliano Tade scored from the penalty spot to put the Navy Blues ahead. You can watch the goal scored by Tade by clicking here.
The Lilywhites had opportunities do equalize but they could not find the net, and Auckland City grabbed all three points from this match: “Three points was the most important thing but I think the way we performed especially in the second half after we made a few adjustments we managed to control things,” said Auckland City’s head coach Jose Figueira in a post match interview.
The Navy Blues come back to the pitch next weekend to face Hamilton Wanderers at Porritt Park while Eastern Suburbs will host Canterbury United at Bill McKinley Park. You can check more details about 2020-21 ISPS Handa Men’s Premiership by clicking here.
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