Central Coast came from behind twice in New Zealand to claim a 2-2 draw and a point that opens the door for Western United to claim the premiership.
Auckland took the lead on Sunday through Guillermo May's header in the 10th minute before Vitor Feijao responded in the 71st for the Mariners.
Callan Elliot's cracking half-volley seven minutes later gave the home team the lead before Nicholas Duarte salvaged a point with a 90th-minute equaliser at Go Media Stadium.
Corica's side are now winless in three, drawing all of those matches.
With six games left, the league newcomers sit top on 42 points, just four clear of second-placed Western United, who beat Newcastle 6-2 later on Sunday.
"First 30 (minutes) was excellent. We gave them opportunities after that 30 till halftime and then, yeah, obviously we should have won the game in the end," Corica told Sky Sports NZ.
"We're very disappointed of that goal, of course, the first goal and the second goal, because we're better than that. The players switching off at the wrong time.
"You want to be a championship team or a premiership team, you have to do better than that.
"You can't allow any team to have opportunities, like you saw at the end. You give them opportunities, they'll take them and punish you."
Corica lamented giving up cheap late goals against both Adelaide United and Central Coast in recent weeks.Â
"You just can't do that - you have to see out the game," he said.
"You have to put your body on the line. And I don't think we did that towards the end."
Mark Jackson's 10th-placed Mariners (22) are 11 points outside the finals places, with only five games to play, seemingly dashing their hopes of a three-peat.
But skipper Trent Sainsbury hasn't given up.
"For our team this probably been one of our better performances for the entire season. So very happy with how it went," Sainsbury said.
"We know what we can do. We've done it the last two seasons.
"We've sort of lacked that little bit of belief over the last couple of weeks, probably months, to be honest.
"But injuries, players coming back into form - it's all starting to click for us now."
After the international break, Auckland travel to face Brisbane on Sunday March 30, when Central Coast host Perth.
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