San Lorenzo vs. Auckland City: Score and Reaction from FIFA Club World Cup

Copa Libertadores winners San Lorenzo will now play Real Madrid in the FIFA Club World Cup after beating a valiant Auckland City side 2-1 in Marrakech.

Auckland had gone into the match as certain underdogs against a San Lorenzo team who have struggled in their domestic campaign this season.

Pablo Barrientos opened the scoring for the Argentine side on the stroke of half-time just when it looked like Auckland would grab a clean sheet before the break.

But then Angel Berlanga grabbed an unlikely equaliser forcing the game into extra time.

However, the Saints' Mauro Matos expertly found the back of the net to put the tie beyond doubt with a 93rd-minute strike.

Abdeljalil Bounhar/Associated Press

San Lorenzo started the match on the front foot with Auckland's Marko Dordevic being booked in the opening minutes for a dangerous tackle. But the New Zealanders began to find their defensive shape soon after and did extremely well to nullify the early San Lorenzo threat.

The Saints continued to push their less illustrious opponents, but it was Auckland who missed a golden chance on 11 minutes as Emiliano Tade missed from close range.

Auckland continued to hold their own to their great credit, and Ryan De Vries went close for his side, shooting wide midway through the first half.

Abdeljalil Bounhar/Associated Press

San Lorenzo were clearly becoming aggravated by Auckland's personal effort. Saints skipper Juan Mercier was shown the yellow card for kicking the ball away.

Walter Kannemann then followed his captain into the book for assimilation as Auckland continued to perform above their expected level and surprise the watching crowd.

But it was the Buenos Aires team who took the lead just before the break. A cross from the left-wing was not dealt with by the Auckland defence, and Barrientos smartly finished to take a lead back into the dressing rooms.

Goal.com captured the opening goal on social media, with Goal.com's international football writer Peter Staunton questioning San Lorenzo's style and tactics:

The Saints almost grabbed a second immediately after the start of the second half, with former Everton youth star and Auckland defender John Irving sliding in to stop a certain goal.

The game started to disintegrate into a barrage of dirty fouling and gamesmanship tactics as the flow of the tie started to be effected, with the referee reaching for his book to keep order.

San Lorenzo seemed content to hold on to their slim advantage, and it appeared that the New Zealanders were not going to find the breakthrough they needed.

Christophe Ena/Associated Press

But then the minnows stunned everyone in the stadium as they grabbed an unlikely equaliser in the 68th minute.

Auckland's Spanish defender Berlanga stole in on a through ball which evaded the Saints' goalkeeper, and the player finished the ball like a striker from a very tight angle.

The Argentina FA's official Twitter feed recorded the moment on their feed, and The Times journalist Gabriele Marcotti quipped that the Argentina team would receive divine intervention to help their path to the final:

Peter Staunton also gave credit to the New Zealand team after they grabbed their equaliser, highlighting the dream scenario unfolding in Morocco:

The reaction of the San Lorenzo team was immediate, and they suddenly upped their game to match their status of favourites.

And on the 75th minute, San Lorenzo's Martin Cauteruccio nearly scored after an outrageous piece of skill on the edge of the box, only to then smash the ball against the post.  

As the game entered the final moments, though, and with San Lorenzo pushing forward, it was Auckland who looked dangerous on the counter-attack as the game started to swing one way to the other.

However, neither side could land the knockout blow, and normal time ended with the game tied at 1-1.

Sports journalist Simon Clark congratulated the Oceania Football Confederation Champions for being able to take the match into extra time:

However, it did not take San Lorenzo long to once again gain the lead after a strike from Matos—just three minutes into extra time.

A lofted ball into the box eventually fell to the feet of Matos, and the player drilled the ball home to make it 2-1.

The New Zealand amateurs were starting to look tired and beaten as the Argentines went looking for a third strike.

Wave after wave of attacks followed as the Saints used the adrenaline of their extra-time goal to their advantage. But after late pressure by Auckland, the game concluded with San Lorenzo as the winners.

It had been a fantastic effort by the amateur New Zealand team on the night, keeping on level terms with one of the famous five grand clubs of Argentina football. They showed amazing resilience when it would have been easier to collapse but did not have the engine to navigate an extra 30 minutes after full time.

San Lorenzo played a cautious game for the most part of normal time and they will continue this tactic against Los Blancos. They know they will not be able to outgun the 10-time Champions League winners, so expect a packed defence trying to grab a goal on the counter-attack.