Auckland FC have claimed their third New Zealand derby win of the inaugural OFC Pro League season, defeating South Island United 5-2 at Eden Park.
In a dress rehearsal for their semi-final showdown in eight days’ time, the Aucklanders survived a second-half comeback by the South Islanders to secure their second win of the Leaders Group.
A flurry of second-half goals brightened a match that looked to be a tense stalemate in the first half. Both teams were battling for possession and creating half-chances early on, but were unable to convert.
Auckland FC had the clearer chances, including an excellent opportunity for Oscar Faulds but were unable to find an early breakthrough.
It was perhaps no surprise then that when the opening goal did arrive, it came via a rather unconventional route.
Sustained pressure from Auckland FC in the final ten minutes of the half saw coach Luke Casserly’s men win a corner, with Emiliano Tade’s effort looping over everyone and nestling in the far corner to give his side the lead.
Emiliano Tade (centre) … scored the game’s opening goal. Photo credit: OFC Media / Phototek.
Both sides lifted the intensity in the second half, with goals coming in an end-to-end period.
Coach Rob Sherman’s South Islanders found their first thanks to a David Yoo close-range finish, before Riley Grover’s effort from distance took a wicked deflection to fly past Eli Jones and give South Island United the lead.
Unwilling to go down, Auckland FC struck back, scoring three goals in nine minutes to storm back into the lead 4-2.
Aston Burns, who came back into the line-up after missing the last match against Bula, picked up a brace, scoring either side of an own goal, before Isa Prins finished the game off with a strike in the final minutes of the match.
The two sides now prepare for their semi-final showdown at Go Media Stadium next Wednesday, with fellow semi-finalists South Melbourne waiting to see who they will face after this weekend’s semi-final playoff.
Acknowledgement
We thank OFC Media for providing information for this story.
Photo credits: OFC Media / Phototek.
Results
Games played on Tuesday May 12, 2026
Auckland FC 5 (Emiliano Tade 38′, Aston Burns 58′, 67′, own goal 62′, Isa Prins 86′)
South Island United 2 (David Yoo 50′, Riley Grover 56′)
South Melbourne 4 (Jack Pope 12′, Maximilian Mikkola 34′ pen, Andrew Mesourouni 36′, Jordon Lampard 56′)
Bula 2 (Ibraheem Afazal 19′, Roy Krishna 78′)
READ MORE: South Melbourne top of Leaders Group after beating Bula in OFC Pro League >>>>
OFC Pro League — Leaders Group
Club
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
South Melbourne
3
3
0
0
10
5
5
9
Auckland FC
3
2
0
1
8
4
4
6
South Island United
3
1
0
2
5
9
-4
3
Bula
3
0
0
3
2
7
-5
0
OFC Pro League — Challengers Group
Club
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
Vanuatu United
2
2
0
0
6
3
3
6
Solomon Kings
2
1
0
1
4
4
0
3
Tahiti United
2
0
1
1
3
4
-1
1
PNG Hekari
2
0
1
1
3
5
-2
1
Fixtures
How to buy tickets
Tickets are available for all games through Ticketek:
Challengers group — New Zealand
Games to be played on Wednesday May 13, 2026
Solomon Kings v PNG Hekari
Go Media Stadium, Auckland, 3pm (NZT)
Tahiti United v Vanuatu United
Go Media Stadium, Auckland, 7pm (NZT)
Play-offs — New Zealand
Game to be played on Sunday May 17, 2026
Bula v 1st-placed team from challengers group
Go Media Stadium, Auckland, 3pm (NZT)
Semi-finals: Auckland, New Zealand
Games to be played on Wednesday May 20, 2026
Semi-final 1
Auckland FC v South Island United
Go Media Stadium, Auckland, 1.30pm (NZT)
Semi-final 2
South Melbourne v Play-off winner (from May 17)
Go Media Stadium, Auckland, 6.30pm (NZT)
Final: Auckland, New Zealand
Game to be played on Sunday May 24, 2026
Winner semi-final 1 v winner semi-final 2
Eden Park, Auckland, 3pm (NZT)
More about the OFC Professional League
READ MORE: Our previous stories about the OFC Professional League >>>>
This story was first published on May 12, 2026