Granger: Auckland proved a point

Even though they once again bowed out of the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup™ at the first time of asking, Auckland United FC achieved at least one of the objectives they had set out to meet.

The reality of performing as an amateur club up against the full-time professionals from Pyongyang, meant that matching their Asian foes was always going to be a dauting task for Auckland. What transpired at the Shangcheng Sports Centre Stadium though was a competitive fixture, that ultimately wasn’t settled until Naegohyang’s 88th-minute second goal in a tightly-contested 2-0 win for the DPR Korea powerhouse.

Speaking with FIFA post-match, Auckland defender Alaina Granger said that showing the club belonged on the intercontinental stage was a key takeaway for the team.

“We were right in the match until the last minute, which is good. I think to come here and, I guess, prove a point that we do belong, and that we were able to compete for 90 minutes, is a real positive.

“The girls went out hard and did what we planned to do, and there were times in the game where we felt like we could compete, which was cool.

“I think towards the end of the first half, we had a little bit of momentum, and then unfortunately half-time came, so it kind of put a pause in that, but no, we always felt that we were in it.

“Being an amateur side up against a professional side, means that they are obviously a good team. There were moments though where they had that extra step ahead of us, which we'll learn from for next time.”

Next time could well be the following edition of the Women’s Champions Cup if Auckland continue their domestic and continental dominance. Beyond that, there is the potential lure of the inaugural edition of the FIFA Women’s Club World Cup™, to be played in 2028.

While the slot allocation is yet to be determined for Oceania, Granger admits that the club will be doing all they can on the pitch to try and appear in what is set to be a watershed tournament for women’s club football.

“We want to be there. We want to be in that competition, whether that's through a play-off or directly in, we'll be there. That's what we're working towards for the next year.

“We've got a lot of girls who have been in age group, international teams, and for those who aren't in the senior team, it's like another step. It's another tournament that you can be a part of and to get to play against players from the clubs the likes of Barcelona and Arsenal would be pretty cool.”

Having lost regular captain Talisha Green to injury, Granger was handed the armband in Hangzhou and said the club must now return home to New Zealand with a newfound belief to get back to this stage as quickly as they can.

“Obviously, our captain was out injured tonight, but it was good to lead the girls. We had a bit of a younger, newer, squad compared to last year, but we all worked hard and it’s such a good group of girls to lead out.

“Now, we have to focus on National League when we get home, use the learnings from today, and then hopefully do this again next year and then the Club World Cup.