Auckland City captain Angel Berlanga lifts the OFC Champions League trophy. Hagen Hopkins / Getty Images
New Zealand amateur side Auckland City will get to test themselves against the cream of world football at the Fifa Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi in December.
Seven titles on the trot
The amateurs Auckland City beat Team Wellington 2-0 in the second leg of the Oceania Champions League final on Sunday. Auckland won the two-legged final 5-0 on aggregate after a 3-0 victory at home last week to give them a seventh consecutive Oceania title and ninth overall.
Al Jazira likely are next
Auckland, who finished third at the 2014 Club World Cup in Morocco, will enter a play-off for the quarter-finals at the tournament in the UAE. They are likely to face Arabian Gulf League champions Al Jazira on December 6.
Keeping foot on the gas
Ramon Tribulietx’s side were already in the box seat after the first leg but they did not take the return fixture easy, with Ryan de Vries and Emiliano Tade notching goals after half-time.
‘Club very proud of everyone’
"We couldn’t sit back and wait because we knew Wellington are a team capable of scoring if you do that. We had to be aggressive and play to win," Tribulietx said. "To get the title for the seventh time in a row, I’m really proud of them and I think the club is very proud of everyone.
‘The boys switch on’
"It’s a great feeling because it’s not a one-off or a lucky thing," the manager said. "We all understand how important it is to play in the Fifa Club World Cup. The team changes from year to year and it gets harder to win each year but when it comes down to these games the boys switch on and do the job."
* Reuters
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