Amateur club Auckland City of New Zealand earned a memorable and historic 1-1 draw against Argentine giants Boca Juniors in their final FIFA Club World Cup group stage match on Tuesday.
Christian Gray scored a second-half header to secure a point for his side, who had been widely expected to suffer a heavy defeat. The result marks Auckland’s first positive result in the Club World Cup since their run to the semi-finals in 2014.
Boca Juniors took the lead in the 25th minute in fortunate circumstances when Lautaro di Lollo’s header rebounded off the post and deflected into the net off Auckland goalkeeper Nathan Garrow for an own goal.
Despite facing relentless pressure and a total of 40 shots from their professional opponents, Auckland found an equaliser early in the second half when Gray headed home from a Jerson Lagos corner. Shortly after the goal, play was suspended for approximately 40 minutes due to adverse weather conditions in the area. When the match resumed, Boca dominated but were unable to find a winner against a resolute Auckland defence.
The achievement is particularly notable for the New Zealand side, whose players are part-time and had taken annual leave to compete. They entered the match having conceded 16 goals in their opening two group stage games.
“I’m from a small town, a long way from here and a lot different to this environment. So it is somewhat of a dream,” said Auckland’s 28-year-old goalscorer, Christian Gray.
Despite the heroic draw, both Auckland City and Boca Juniors have been eliminated from the competition. Group C winners Benfica and runners-up Bayern Munich will advance to the knockout stages.
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