[rnz_online]
Louis Verstraete celebrates his gamewinner against Adelaide. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz
Auckland FC have risen to the top of the A-League with a 2-1 home win over Adelaide United at Go Media Stadium.
Moments after earning a yellow card from the referee, Louis Verstraete provided the gamewinner with little more than 10 minutes remaining in regulation time, when he pounced on a ricochet off the goalpost and slotted a first-time rightfoot effort.
Englishman Sam Cosgrove put the home side on the board first in the 25th minute, when Francis de Vries expertly guided a free-kick across the goal from the right corner, finding his striker on the far post to nod home.
Adelaide equalised on the stroke of halftime, with Luka Jovanovic dribbling into the goalmouth and beating goalkeeper Michael Woud from pointblank range - the first goal against the Black Knights this season.
Verstraete's decisive blow came off a cross from Guillermo May, headed onto the post by Jesse Randall, before falling perfectly for the midfielder.
"We hadn't beat Adelaide yet, so that was our first win," reflected Auckland vice-captain Jake Brimmer, who assumed the leadership role, when skipper Hiroki Sakai was lost to a hamstring injury early.
"Last year, we had some entertaining games and we managed to get the job done tonight, so we're proud of that."
Auckland FC face Kiwi rivals Wellington Phoenix in the capital next week, knowing they swept the series convincingly in their debut 2024/25 season.
"This gives us massive confidence, but we remain humble and move onto the derby next week. We're all looking forward to it and it should be a good one."
The Phoenix can join Auckland atop the standings on Sunday, if they can win at Central Coast.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
