May 24 (Reuters) - Coach Steve Corica said Auckland FC had exceeded expectations by adding the A-League championship title on Saturday to the premiership crown claimed in their debut season last year to cap a successful second A-League campaign for the fledgling club.
The ex-Sydney FC coach led his side to a 1-0 win over his former employers at a sold-out Mount Smart Stadium as Auckland FC became the first team from New Zealand to win the grand final in the competition's 20-year history.
"I had done everything at Sydney FC so I didn't have anything to prove as a coach," said Corica, who had led former club to the A-League championship in 2019 and 2020.
"What I wanted to bring was joy to the people here in Auckland because they've been so wonderful to me and our players in the first two years.
"A premiership in our first season and a grand final win in the second year is more than we could've asked for.
"We've got the right people in. It's about belief and the culture's been amazing. The boys all stick together. We've had a wonderful time in our first two years and we'll try to back it up again next season."
Corica was installed as Auckland's inaugural coach in late 2023, six weeks after ending a long association with Sydney as both player and coach.
He won A-League championships in 2006 and 2010 as a midfielder before moving into coaching, replacing Graham Arnold at the helm in 2018 and leading the team to back-to-back titles in his first two seasons.
"It was a weird one when we knew we were going to play Sydney in the final after spending so much time there and winning trophies for them," he said.
"But I love winning. I wanted these boys to put on a show tonight. It wasn't the prettiest of games, but they showed the spirit we expect from them. The crowd was amazing. Nice to win against Sydney as well."
(Reporting by Michael Church, Editing by Kim Coghill)
