Auckland United have further cemented their place in New Zealand football history with their third Dettol National League Championship Grand Final win in as many years, defeating city rivals Eastern Suburbs 1–0 at Keith Hay Park in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland.

The two sides came into the game very familiar with each other, having already met four times in the league in 2025, with their most recent clash in October ending in a 1–1 draw.

Both teams can arguably call upon the strongest squads in the league, featuring multiple Ford Football Ferns across United and Suburbs colours.

A tight match throughout, the first half played out largely as a midfield battle, with both sides struggling to create clear-cut opportunities.

Eastern Suburbs arguably had the better of the play but couldn’t turn their pressure into chances.

The breakthrough came in the 36th minute when captain Talisha Green’s long ball from deep caught the Eastern Suburbs defence off guard and fell to Zoe Benson in the box.

Benson got ahead of her marker and fired a shot at Corina Brown in the Suburbs’ net.

Brown parried, but Benson reacted quickest and slotted home to give United the lead.

The second half opened up as Eastern Suburbs pushed to get back into the game, but it wasn’t until the final stages that they created their best chances.

With 10 minutes to play, defender Yukino Nishizono picked up the ball around 30 metres out and launched a rocket that looked destined for goal before flying just over.

Ten minutes later, they had a chance to level it at the death and send the game to extra time.

Ruby Nathan, a former Auckland United player, expertly took the ball past her marker near the byline and crossed into the box, where Sammi Tawharu met it, but her close-range effort went over the bar.

Moments later, the whistle blew to confirm the Dettol National League Championship trophy would stay at Keith Hay Park.

FULL TIME

Auckland United 1 (36' Zoe Benson)
Eastern Suburbs 0

Article added: Saturday 29 November 2025