Auckland City and Central Coast book OFC Champions League final after contrasting semi-final victories

Auckland City FC and Central Coast FC will contest the 2026 OFC Men’s Champions League final after coming through very different semi-final battles at Four R Govind Park in Ba on Wednesday.

The defending champions controlled their meeting with hosts Rewa FC to claim a 3-1 victory, while Central Coast produced one of the most dramatic results of the tournament, defeating previously unbeaten Galaxy FC 3-2 after extra time behind a hat-trick from Solomon Islands star Raphael Lea’i.

Auckland City entered the first semi-final against a Rewa side missing two important players, Merrill Nand and Joseph Athale, through suspension. The New Zealand champions took control of possession early and created the better opportunities as Rewa struggled to settle.

The breakthrough came in the 34th minute. Michal Doudera collected Ryan De Vries’ flick and released Gerard Garriga behind the Rewa defence, with the midfielder keeping his composure to finish past goalkeeper James Do’oro.

Auckland increased their advantage just before half-time. Following a corner, Nathan Rostron reacted quickest to the loose ball inside the area and finished from close range to make it 2-0.

Any hopes of a Rewa comeback suffered another major blow nine minutes after the restart. Matt Ellis accelerated away from the defence after receiving De Vries’ pass and produced a composed finish beyond Do’oro for Auckland’s third.

The Fijian champions continued pushing despite the deficit and eventually received a reward in the 89th minute. Player-coach Tevita Waranaivalu delivered into the area and Josaia Sela scored with a spectacular acrobatic volley.

It was only a consolation, however, as Auckland City closed out the 3-1 victory and secured a place in a fifth consecutive OFC Champions League final.

If the first semi-final was relatively controlled, the second provided a completely different contest.

Central Coast FC stunned Galaxy FC 3-2 after extra time, ending the Vanuatu champions’ perfect campaign and earning their place in the continental final.

Central Coast took the lead after 15 minutes. Hudyn Irodao’s attempt came back off the crossbar and, after Bobby Leslie’s follow-up was blocked, Lea’i controlled the loose ball and fired home.

The Solomon Islands side continued causing Galaxy problems and doubled their advantage just before the break. Leslie and Barrie Limoki combined on a quick counterattack before finding Lea’i, who confidently finished his second of the match in the 44th minute.

Galaxy entered the second half facing their biggest challenge of the tournament. After scoring 14 goals during the group stage, the Vanuatu champions had been kept scoreless for more than an hour as Central Coast restricted the service towards Willian Dos Santos Medina.

Eventually, the competition’s leading scorer found a way through.

Andrew Malakai released Medina in the 69th minute and the Brazilian turned towards goal before curling an excellent finish beyond Erick Wanega to reduce the deficit.

Eight minutes later, Galaxy were level. Medina broke the Central Coast defensive line and calmly finished to make it 2-2, taking his personal tournament tally to 11 goals and forcing the semi-final into extra time.

Both teams had opportunities during the additional 30 minutes, but the decisive moment came with only three minutes remaining.

A defensive mistake allowed substitute Fordney Junior to win possession and find Lea’i, who powered his finish high into the net in the 117th minute.

The goal completed Lea’i’s hat-trick, ended Galaxy’s unbeaten campaign and sent Central Coast into the OFC Champions League final with a memorable 3-2 victory.

For Galaxy, the defeat brings an abrupt end to a campaign in which Medina had emerged as the competition’s most prolific player. His two semi-final goals increased his total to 11, following three consecutive hat-tricks during the group stage.

For Central Coast, the victory represents a major achievement for Solomon Islands football and sets up another meeting with Auckland City. The two sides already faced each other in the group stage, when Central Coast led before Auckland scored twice late in the match to claim a 2-1 victory.

Auckland City and Central Coast will now return to Four R Govind Park on Saturday, August 22, with the 2026 OFC Men’s Champions League title on the line.

The defending champions will be chasing another continental crown, while Central Coast will attempt to complete their remarkable campaign by overturning their group-stage defeat and bringing the trophy back to Solomon Islands.