Marlee Francois has opened his goalscoring account with a rare Olimpico goal as Auckland celebrated their premiers plate success with a 1-0 win over Perth Glory.
Auckland entered Sunday's home match in front of 24,221 fans at Go Media Stadium knowing they had already secured top spot on the A-League Men ladder following Melbourne City's 0-0 draw with Adelaide the previous night.
Black Knights coach Steve Corica revealed he watched the first half of that game before falling asleep, only to be woken up by people congratulating him on winning the premiers plate.
Auckland were expected to romp to victory against last-placed Glory, but scores were still level at 0-0 in the 62nd minute before Francois scored direct from a corner to spark wild celebrations.
The looped ball curled massively in the air before striking the back post and bouncing in, giving 22-year-old Francois his first ALM goal in his 13th appearance.
It was just reward for Auckland in a match in which they unleashed 28 shots to four and enjoyed 62 per cent possession.
Glory goalkeeper Oli Sail, who is an Auckland local, almost proved to be the party pooper, producing save after save to frustrate the home side, before the Olimpico broke the deadlock.
The result confirmed a second consecutive wooden spoon for Glory.
Auckland were presented with the premiers plate after the match - the piece of silverware a remarkable achievement for a club in its first year.
"It was already in the bag, but we wanted to keep winning games and keep that momentum going into finals," Auckland vice-captain Tommy Smith said of winning the premiers plate.
"It (the win) could have been a lot more on another day, but the boys put in a good performance and we've come away with the three points.
"It (the win) is for the fans. They've turned up week in, week out."
The first half was one-way traffic as Auckland unleashed 15 shots to zero, along with enjoying 72 per cent possession.
Despite the utter domination, the scoreline read 0-0 at halftime.
Auckland striker Max Mata had a glut of chances in the first half, including a series of headers that either sailed just wide of the target or were saved.
His best chance came in the 42nd minute when the ball was squared to him just seven yards out from goal.
Mata struck the ball sweetly, but Glory goalkeeper Sail was on hand to pull off a stunning reflex save.
Chances continued to flow for Auckland in the second half, and Sail proved near impossible to beat until Francois unleashed a mesmerising Olimpico.
Auckland players celebrated wildly upon being presented with the premiers plate after Sunday's match.
The result extended Auckland's unbeaten run to 14 matches, with their last defeat a 1-0 loss to Glory in Perth on January 11.
