Auckland v Wellington Phoenix Live Stream: Men’s A-League Round 3

Live broadcast of the first match of the Kiwi Clasico – Auckland – Wellington Phoenix from the Sky Stadium.

To say the first men’s A-League derby between Auckland and Wellington Phoenix was highly anticipated would be like saying All Whites captain Chris Wood has his sights set on a goal.

There can only be one first derby and both sides will be keen to start what will hopefully be a long and storied rivalry by drawing first blood on Saturday afternoon.

Why is it called Kiwi Clasico?

This is a game on the theme of the famous El Clasico played between Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona – another version is El Trafico between Los Angeles Galaxy and Los Angeles FC in the States – similar names have a tendency to evolve over time, but it seems like whiteboard enthusiasts in marketing can’t do it. I can’t resist stamping this before the ball is hit.

Where is the match? When does it start?

Te Whanganui and Tara Wellington have the honor of hosting the first Clasico at Sky Stadium, also known as The Cake Tin. Organizers are hoping for more than 20,000 people to attend, with around 15,000 tickets already sold, so a handful of visitors are predicted. Kiwis are notorious fair-weather sports fans, and you know what they say about Wellington on a nice day.

The Auckland derby against Wellington Phoenix kicks off at family hour at 5pm on Saturday afternoon.

The A-League men’s season has just begun. How have both teams fared so far?

Wellington Phoenix are coming off their best ever season in 2023/24 and picking up pretty much where they left off. In their first match against Western United they took a 1-0 lead through Costa Barbarouses until they equalized in the 76th minute and the points were shared.

Secondly, they faced Perth Glory away from home – goals either side of the break from Scott Wootton – as he nodded home a well placed free-kick – and Tim Payne – who also headed a dangerous ball into the box – saw the goal “Phoenix” and to the beginning of the table – briefly.

Auckland’s first match in their history saw them host Brisbane Roar to a sold-out Go Media Stadium. An early own goal from captain Hiroki Sakai calmed nerves a bit, but the home side had to wait until the 74th minute for Logan Rogerson to coolly cross to seal the three points with a 2-0 win.

Second time out and there are few tougher challenges in the A-League than Sydney.

Auckland squandered a couple of good chances in the first half and were almost made to pay for it as Sydney scored late on with a goal ruled out for VAR offside.

The Auckland faithful will be pleased with the determination their team showed and for that faith they were rewarded with a sensational winning goal in the 97th minute thanks to a backheel nutmeg from defender Nando Pijnaker who stole three points to send them straight to the top of the table. .