Western Sydney Wanderers continued their positive pre-season preparations with a 3-1 victory over Auckland FC in Napier.
STAND WITH THE RED & BLACK IN 2026/27. SECURE YOUR WANDERERS MEMBERSHIP TODAY.
The Red & Black travelled to New Zealand off the back of a 4-0 win over Wellington Phoenix earlier in the week and carried that momentum into another valuable hit-out ahead of the new A-League season.
The Wanderers fielded a strong side, with Brandon Borrello, Nicolas Milanovic and Liam Gillion forming an exciting front three, while Dylan Scicluna produced an influential performance through the middle of the park.
It took just three minutes for the Wanderers to make their mark.
Borrello opened the scoring in spectacular fashion, finding the back of the net with an incredible strike to give the Red & Black the perfect start in Napier.
The Wanderers continued to apply pressure and soon doubled their advantage through Gillion, who found the net against his former club to make it 2-0.
Scicluna was heavily involved in the Wanderers’ attacking play, playing a role in both early goals as the Red & Black controlled the opening stages of the contest.
Auckland responded in the 29th minute, capitalising on a counter attack to reduce the deficit and send the sides into the break with the Wanderers leading 2-1.
The Red & Black wasted little time restoring their two-goal advantage after the restart.
Just three minutes into the second half, Borrello struck for the second time, this time finishing with a header to complete his brace and put the Wanderers 3-1 ahead.
Scicluna was again involved in the build-up, capping an impressive individual display that saw the young midfielder play a part in all three Wanderers goals.
The 3-1 result completed another encouraging pre-season outing for the Red & Black and continued a productive week that also included Wednesday’s convincing 4-0 victory over Wellington Phoenix.
The Wanderers will now return to Western Sydney and turn their attention to Saturday’s Members Season Launch at Wanderers Football Park, where they will continue their preparations with a pre-season fixture against Central Coast Mariners.
