Izuchukwu OkosiNew Zealand amateurs side Auckland City held Boca Juniors to a 1-1 draw in their FIFA Club World Cup last group stage game to bow out with some pride.
Christian Gray scored Auckland’s only goal of the competition in the second half to earn his side a memorable result in Nashville.
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Auckland showed some industry for 25 minutes but were undone in unfortunate circumstances when Lautaro di Lollo’s header struck the post before hitting goalkeeper Nathan Garrow and creeping over the line.
Despite spending most of the game on the back foot, the lowly rated Auckland got their Club World Cup moment early in the second half when Gray headed a corner beyond Boca keeper Agustin Marchesin.
Shortly after Gray’s equaliser, the game was suspended for about 40 minutes because of adverse weather in the area.
Boca dominated after play resumed but could not find a winner as Auckland held on for a historic draw.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
