The 2015 OFC Champions League final was the final of the 2014–15 OFC Champions League, the 14th edition of the Oceania Cup, Oceania's premier club football tournament organized by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), and the 9th season under the current OFC Champions League name.
The final was played between two New Zealand teams, Auckland City and Team Wellington. It was played at the National Stadium in Suva on 26 April 2015. The winner earned the right to represent the OFC at the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup, entering at the qualifying play-off round.
Auckland City defeated Team Wellington 4–3 on penalties (1–1 after extra time) to win their fifth consecutive and seventh overall OFC club title.
Background This was the second final to be played as a single match during the OFC Champions League era. The previous single-match final, in 2013, was also the only previous final to feature two New Zealand teams, where Auckland City defeated Waitakere United.
Auckland City were the four-time defending champions. They had played in six previous finals, winning all of them in 2006, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014. For Team Wellington, this was the first time that they reach an OFC club final.
On 16 March 2014, Auckland City defeated Team Wellington 1–0 in the 2013–14 ASB Premiership grand final to be crowned domestic champions. Both teams qualified for the 2014–15 OFC Champions League as they also finished first and second in the regular season. On 19 October 2014, Team Wellington defeated Auckland City 4–3 on penalties (2–2 full-time) in the season-opening ASB Charity Cup. In the 2014–15 ASB Premiership, both teams again finished first and second in the regular season, with the two teams each winning their home match against their final opponent (Team Wellington 4–0 Auckland City on 29 November 2014; Auckland City 3–0 Team Wellington on 15 February 2015).
Road to final
The final stage of the 2014–15 OFC Champions League was played in Fiji.
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first.
Auckland CityRound Team WellingtonOpponentResultGroup stageOpponentResult Suva3–0 Tefana2–1 Western United3–0 Hekari United2–0 Tafea3–0 Amicale3–2Group B winnerGroup C winner Gaïtcha1–0Semi-finals Ba2–0
Rules The final was played as a single match. If tied after regulation, extra time and, if necessary, penalty shoot-out would be used to decide the winner.
Match Auckland City took the lead in the 14th minute through João Moreira's penalty, but Team Wellington equalized in the 79th minute, when Ian Hogg hammered in a loose ball after a free kick. The match went to extra time, and Auckland City missed the chance to retake the lead when Michael O'Keeffe saved Darren White's penalty, and the match ended 1–1, meaning the title had to be decided by a penalty shoot-out.
In the penalty shoot-out, both teams missed one penalty in the first four rounds, with Tamati Williams saving from Luis Corrales and O'Keeffe saving from Ángel Berlanga. In the fifth round, Hogg sent his penalty over the bar, and Kim Dae-wook converted his shot to give Auckland City the title.
GK 1 Tamati Williams DF 2 Marko Đorđević DF 3 Takuya Iwata MF 4 Mario Bilen DF 5 Ángel Berlanga DF 9 Darren White FW 10 Ryan De Vries MF 13 Iván Carril MF 15 Ivan Vicelich (c) FW 17 João Moreira FW 19 David Browne Substitutes: MF 8 Anthony Hobbs MF 11 Cameron Lindsay MF 12 Adam McGeorge MF 14 Colin Murphy MF 16 Kim Dae-wook GK 18 Danyon Drake FW 20 Óscar García FW 21 Gustavo Souto DF 22 Andrew Milne MF 23 Sam Burfoot GK 24 Jacob Spoonley MF 25 Michael den HeijerManager: Ramon Tribulietx GK 1 Michael O'Keeffe FW 2 Tom Jackson DF 3 Aaron Scott DF 5 Bill Robertson MF 8 Cole Peverley (c) FW 10 Luis Corrales MF 11 Michael Gwyther DF 12 Ian Hogg MF 13 Alex Feneridis MF 16 Justin Gulley MF 19 Chris Bale Substitutes: FW 6 Sean Lovemore DF 15 Tim Myers MF 18 Mickaël Partodikromo MF 20 Adam Cowan GK 22 Daniel Clarke GK 23 Alex Carr FW 9 Jarrod Smith (injured) MF 17 Jake Butler (injured) DF 4 Tyler Lissette (absent) MF 7 Henry Fa'arodo (absent) MF 14 Cory Chettleburgh (absent) DF 21 Tamupiwa Dimairo (absent)Manager: Matt Calcott
Assistant referees: Tevita Makasini (Tonga) Paul Ahupu (Tahiti) Fourth official: Robinson Banga (Vanuatu)
References
External links OFC Champions League 2015, oceaniafootball.com