Auckland FC are A-League champions after their second season in the league ended with the biggest prize in the competition.
By Paris Ibell and Felicity Reid of RNZ
A 1-0 win over Sydney FC in Saturday's grand final at a sold-out Go Media Stadium crowned Auckland as the A-League champions for the first time.
It was Cam Howieson's goal on the hour mark that was the difference.
Howieson has been playing football in Auckland for nearly a decade and was among the first signings when Auckland FC was formed.
It was fitting it that it was the midfielder who scored his first goal for the club on the biggest stage.
The first A-League grand final to be hosted outside of Australia got off to a cautious start with the home side dominating the chances in the first half as Sydney committed to playing out from the back.
The scores were level at 0-0 at halftime.
After the break Sydney's best chance came just before the hour mark but it was Auckland who would be the first to find the back of the net with a bit of help from a Sydney defender.
Goal scorer Cam Howieson told Sky Sport it was difficult to put the achievement into words.
"I'm just over the moon for the boys, we have such a great group here, it's amazing to be part of it and to be champions and a great time to score my first goal huh," Howieson said.
Howieson, who was named MVP, spent a few years in the relative footballing wilderness before being recruited by Auckland FC.
"It means the world to me, I think a lot of people know that I spent a lot of time out of the professional game and to come back into it at 30 years of age and after last year winning the premiers plate and then the grand final today, it just tops it off. Just so thankful I got the opportunity to play here in Auckland professionally."
Howieson described the split second opportunity he got to score the winner.
"Just obviously fell to me and I just thought you know just try to get it on target and you never know. I was obviously very happy to score, I think the boys were very happy for me as well to get my first goal for the club," he told Sky Sport.
English forward Sam Cosgrove told Sky Sport that winning the title felt unbelievable.
"I'm absolutely speechless, nine months ago I found myself out of contract in England, never in a million years would have thought to find myself doing this on the other side of the world in front of this [crowd] it's unbelievable and impossible to put into words or comprehend what's gone on in the past nine nine months or so."
Cosgrove, who has played in Scotland and England, said it was a career highlight.
"It's right up there, I think that it's the first time in a long time I've had genuine butterflies and nerves coming into a game and I was buzzing all day," Cosgrove told Sky Sport.
A flare thrown from the crowd, at the Auckland supporters end, on to the field after the goal was scored was a blight on the 28,374 fans who witnessed history.
Read how the grand final unfolded below:
Temporary seating had been added to the northern end of Go Media Stadium to help accommodate the nearly 28,000 fans who secured tickets earlier this week.
Auckland FC are known for the entertainment they offer off the pitch and the popular slide down the embankment is there but the football-themed bouncy castle will not be in its usual spot as the extra seating takes up some of that space.
'Ours to win'
Even going into the match, Auckland FC fans were confident of the win.
Cries of "up the port" and "ole ole ole" could be heard from the streams of people heading from Penrose Station to the ground.
A parade with an estimated more than 200 people with drums and flags headed towards the stadium, singing songs and chanting chants, more than an hour before kickoff.
One fan told RNZ said he thought it was absolutely "ours to win tonight."
A particularly dedicated fan said he had made the snap decision to travel up from Dunedin for the game.
"This morning I was on the plane bright and early."
However, there was also a decent contingent of Sydney fans who had crossed the Tasman for the final.
One said she had a particularly special reason for supporting the team.
"My husband and I probably almost had our first date at a Sydney FC game, so now that we have kids, we thought we would bring them along across the ditch and cheer on Sydney FC."
She said she was expecting her team to win 2-0.
"Sorry to disappoint the local fans."
Sydney arrive in New Zealand with a new coach, Patrick Kisnorbo, who has only been in the job since March but undefeated since he took over.
Auckland's coach Steve Corica has won A-League trophies five times before with Sydney but only one of his players, Dan Hall, has been an A-League champion before.
SHARE ME