AucklandCity manager Paul Posa said his team was "very happy" with a 1-1 draw in their final Club World Cup Group C match against Boca Juniors at Nashville Stadium, Tennessee.
This one point was enough to make the amateur team from New Zealand very happy even though they were eliminated from the Club World Cup because they were in bottom position.
"I come from a small town, far away from here and it's very different to this environment. So it's like a dream," Auckland goalscorer Christian Gray said after the match, as quoted by ESPN on Wednesday.
Gray scored in the 52nd minute after his team had trailed by a goal in the first half through an own goal by goalkeeper Nathan Garrow. The goal by the man who is also a teacher in New Zealand came from Auckland's only two shots on target during the 90 minutes.
Auckland's shot count was a far cry from that of Boca Juniors, who had 41 shots in the match, 10 of which were on target. The difference in the match was Garrow. Despite scoring an own goal, he kept out all 10 of Boca's shots.
An Auckland squad made up of teachers, delivery drivers and traders, has paid a heavy price for its grand ambitions of playing in the Club World Cup.
