Black Knights keen to show they are much more than ‘one-dimensional’ in bid to reach grand final

A lack of respect shown from a leading Melbourne Victory player has given Auckland FC even more incentive to secure an A-League grand final berth.

Auckland FC coach Steve Corica will use “disrespectful” comments from Victory star Daniel Arzani to further motivate the Black Knights to end the Melbourne club’s season on Saturday.

The Victory faces a tough task at Go Media Stadium in Auckland in the A-League semi-final second-leg battle after losing last Saturday’s first leg 1-0 at AAMI Park.

Despite the Black Knights clearly being the better side, Arzani said, post-match, that the scoreline wasn’t “reflective of the game at all”.

“They’re a little bit, in my opinion, one-dimensional in the way they play,” Arzani told Network 10.

The Socceroos playmaker also said Auckland’s goal, a 64th-minute header from Logan Rogerson off a cross from Francis de Vries, “came from nothing really”.

“It’s just a nothing ball from the sideline,” Arzani said.

What Arzani didn’t mention was that de Vries got the better of him before crossing the ball.

“That’s why it was probably a nothing ball (for Arzani),” Corica said.

“That’s one of our strengths, putting balls into the box, and Francis’s crossing is one of his strengths as well.

“That for us is part of our game. Logan was in the right spot and finished off really well, and that’s a great goal for us.”

Auckland FC coach Steve Corica wants his side to ‘finish the job’ against Melbourne Victory. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Corica said he would “make sure” his players were aware of Arzani’s comments.

“I think we’re a little bit more than (one-dimensional). We’ve been the most consistent team over the course of the season, so that shows that we’re the best team at the moment, and we want to get to a (grand) final and prove that,” the former Sydney FC boss said.

“At the end of day, that’s his comments. A little bit disrespectful, but we again focus on the game.

“We’re winning the game 1-0. We just got to finish the job off now.”

Having already claimed the premiership in their maiden A-League campaign, the Black Knights want to secure the double by winning the championship.

“The boys have worked it out now with how intense the finals are, but our players did rise to the level (in the first leg) that we expect in finals football,” Corica said.

“We’re going to have to go a little bit better than that this weekend. If we get the job done, then the (grand) final is even more immense.

“Two games to go, hopefully, for us. We want to keep working towards the goal we set at the start of the (season), which was to win the grand final.”

Originally published as Black Knights keen to show they are much more than ‘one-dimensional’ in bid to reach grand final