The decades-old rivalry between Auckland United (including their ancestral clubs) and Eastern Suburbs saw another riveting chapter added to their storied history at Keith Hay Park on August 17, as the pair clashed in a match which would have been a worthy Kate Sheppard Cup Final. Alas, we had to bid adieu to one of these titans at the semi-final stage of the Delivereasy-sponsored competition in 2025, and it's "The Lilywhites" who'll be watching from the stands at North Harbour Stadium in three weeks' time as United prevailed 1-0 after a proper contest, one made even more challenging by constant rain and challenging under-foot conditions. The tone was set inside the first thirty seconds, Suburbs attacking straight from the kick-off, with Vicky Neuefeind's dangerous low cross careering across the goalmouth until Saskia Vosper stepped in to avert the danger. The visitors kept on coming early doors, Cema Nasau narrowly astray with a thirty yard chip after Yume Harashima failed to control Zoe McMeeken's third minute pass. But United were very swiftly on the front foot, Rene Wasi picking out Zoe Benson two minutes later, with the former Suburbs star denied the opening goal by Anna Leat, who parried her fierce drive to safety. Yukino Nishizono completed the clearance, but from Vosper's resulting throw-in, Ava Collins unleashed an acute-angled drive which had the beating of Leat, but not the crossbar, off which the ball ricocheted to safety. All this inside the first six minutes! Little wonder a few minutes of comparative calm followed that firecracker opening spell, but by the quarter hour mark the tempo was being cranked up again by United. Not for Pia Vlok, however. She was taken out from behind by Neuefeind some twenty yards from goal, and the Wellington Phoenix-bound youngster was unable to continue. Benson fired the resulting free-kick over the bar, as Auckland turned to a more than useful substitute in the indefatigable Tui Dugan to replace her injured team-mate. Auckland kept up their pressure, Leat pawing out a teasing cross from Benson halfway through the first half. The ball sat up perfectly for Collins to let fly, but Taylor Anderson was perfectly placed to clear off the line. The ball was cleared to Dugan, who stormed goalwards, running past four opponents before slipping a pass to Collins, who got in behind the defence. She went down in the area under pressure, but Wasi was lurking with intent, and duly stabbed the ball into an empty net, to the undisguised delight of her team-mates. Referee Yunjie Diao wasn't so sure, however, and went across to his assistant, Courtney Day. A brief discussion ensued, after which the flag was held aloft, suggesting that Collins had been offside when latching onto Dugan's pass. Suburbs, much to their relief, swiftly cleared their lines. They were struggling to make in-roads against an Auckland defence which featured superlative displays from Talisha Green, Alaina Granger and Vosper, however, and when the next threat on goal materialised, in the 34th minute, it was once again the sand-coloured shirts of the home side which were very much in evidence. McMeeken, Wasi and Collins combined on the right, with the last-mentioned's low cross targeting the fast-arriving figure of Benson on the far post. Someone else had her eyes on the approaching flank player, too, and Leat timed her save at Benson's feet to perfection. Three minutes later, Suburbs threatened for the first time of note since their initial salvo in the opening moments of this compelling semi-final. Ella Findlay - the victim of a couple of head knocks in the opening stanza - and captain Kenya Brooke combined on the left to create the opening, but Ruby Nathan's bid to break the deadlock against her old club was thwarted at close quarters by Vosper. Back came the home team, McMeeken and Dugan working a one-two on the right in the 42nd minute which saw the fullback's cross pick out Wasi. She was unable to make the most of the opportunity, however, Findlay stepping in to avert the danger, but only as far as Vosper, whose cross was headed past the post by Collins. The resulting goal kick didn't travel too far outside the penalty area before a wayward pass from Nishizono put Leat in a spot of bother with Benson bearing down on her with all the subtlety of an express train! The 'keeper was completely unruffled, however, and cleared her lines with the minimum of fuss. Right on half-time, United broke the deadlock.

Benson and Harashima combined to play in Vosper on the left, from where the overlapping fullback cut inside before delivering a measured cross to the far post. Brooke misjudged it as she looked to clear the danger, and her error was punished mercilessly by Wasi, who rammed home the opener from eight yards - 1-0 Auckland. As they did in the first half, Suburbs piled on the pressure at the start of the second spell, this time knowing that an equaliser was imperative. They were nearly caught on the counter-attack by Auckland, however, Collins having strayed offside before hitting the bar with a confident chip of the approaching figure of Leat five minutes after the resumption of play. Suburbs responded via Neuefeind, who lashed a twenty-yarder narrowly over the bar after a stray pass from Wasi. She was in the thick of the action again five minutes later, the beneficiary of a slick interchange between Chloe Knott and Dugan, whose measured pass played the speedster through with just Leat to beat. Wasi fired past the near post, however, while a deflected cross from Vosper was well grabbed by the Football Ferns' custodian soon afterwards. Cue yet more Suburbs pressure in pursuit of an equaliser, but no end product - United 'keeper Hannah Mitchell had yet to be tested, unlike her opposite number. Leat is always prone to the odd stray pass out of defence - her inconsistent distribution is an area of her game which can most kindly be described as a work in progress. Come the 65th minute, and she directed the ball straight to Wasi, who instantly linked up with Collins. Her superb return pass split the defence and exploited Wasi's pace to perfection, but Leat made amends by smothering the Papua New Guinea native's resulting cross. Suburbs kept on asking questions of Auckland's defence, but they were as resolute as they were robust - even in the absence of usual central defensive duo Greer MacIntosh and Jess Philpot, United's rearguard simply refused to yield to the pressure which the likes of Neuefeind, Nathan, Findlay, Stacey Martin and substitute Putri Ardana were applying. The more Suburbs pressed, the more they were likely to get caught on the counter-attack, and when substitute Alexis Cook played Collins through the offside trap fifteen minutes from time, it was one of those "up for grabs now" moments. The striker - a proper centre-forward, Collins is - deftly lobbed Leat, only to look on in dismay as the ball hit the post and ricocheted to safety. "The Lilywhites" collectively breathed a huge sigh of relief, knowing they'd just had a huge let-off. Was fortune in their favour? Only one way to find out when you're one goal down - go for glory! And they did, launching everything in their arsenal at Auckland in the time remaining, including Brooke's long throw-ins! 'Twas the captain who ignited the 83rd minute move which finally saw the visitors make in-roads down the left, her pass to Ardana allowing the speedster to turn McMeeken and play Neuefeind through the space vacated by the attack-minded fullback. The former United player picked out Findlay arriving at the near post, where she controlled the ball before unleashing a ferocious ten yard volley which had 'Goal' written all over it, until Mitchell pulled off a quite stunning save, turning the ball over the bar in a manner not dissimilar to that which saw Liverpool's Jerzy Dudek deny AC Milan's Andriy Shevchenko in the dying minutes of extra time in the 2005 European Cup Final. At that moment, Suburbs must have feared their ten-match winning streak was about to come to an end, and when a Brooke throw-in wasn't cleared and the ball ricocheted off Neuefeind and arced onto the crossbar, you just sensed that this was going to be Auckland's day. And so it proved, stoppage time game management combining with some outstanding work by Knott - hers was another monster midfield display - who worked an opening for Benson to exploit, only for the fearless figure of Findlay to fly in and foil her forward foray. Time was Suburbs' enemy, however, and when the final whistle blew, it was the cup holders who were jubilant once more, as they edged ever closer in their pursuit of a second successive silverware-laden season. Auckland:      Mitchell; McMeeken, Green, Granger, Vosper; Knott, Harashima, Vlok (Dugan, 20); Wasi (Cook, 71), Collins, Benson Suburbs:     Leat; Pilbrow, Anderson, Nishizono, Brooke; Martin, Findlay, Nasau (Ardana, 66), Innes (Reid, 83); Nathan, Neuefeind Referee:     Yunjie Diao