Goal! Weekly Article 12: Asian Champions League Coverage

VICTORY GAIN PRIDE IN DRAW
Melbourne still determined to finish second
By Julius Ross

A hard-fought draw in Korea saw Melbourne Victory finally regain some Asian Champions League pride as they secured only their fourth point of an arduous campaign last Wednesday.

The Victory remained optimistic of climbing from the bottom of their Group G table, after they churned out a 1-1 draw against fellow strugglers Chunnam Dragons in Gwangyang Stadium.

Although hope for qualification was extinguished in the previous round, Victory are still determined to finish second in their group, with first place already secured by Japanese club Gamba Osaka.

Gamba completed their mission to qualify for the next round, after defeating Chonburi 2-0 in Thailand.

The J-League club only needed a draw from the match to progress, however they stretched the gap between them and second placed Chunnam Dragons to eight points, through goals from strikers Masato Yamazaki and Lucas, whose deadly partnership in the Osaka attack has seen them share six goals in the campaign.

The 2-0 away victory not only earned Gamba a spot in the last eight, but also saw them gain revenge against Chonburi for their 1-1 draw in the first round, a result which had the potential to ruin the Japanese side’s campaign from day one.

In Gwangyang province in Korea, Victory coach Ernie Merrick sent out a full strength team in determined manner to fulfil his side’s ambition to claim maximum points; however Chunnam Dragons managed to steal a share of the spoils.

Switching to 4-3-3 formation, with young striker Nathan Elasi making his ACL debut alongside Danny Allsopp and Bobby Celeski up front, Merrick fielded an experimental side that looked to take the game to the Dragons.

Melbourne received an extra boost, after Chunnam manager Park Hang-Seo rested some of his key personnel for the clash, claiming that the combination of their domestic K-League and ACL campaigns had left his players mentally and physically drained.

The Victory soon took advantage, making a dream start after just four minutes; new signing Tomislav Pondeljak placing a 20 yard curling strike into the Dragon’s net.

Pondeljak showed promising signs for the Victory; his excellent positioning behind the strikers gave the Victory extra fire-power from the midfield.

But Victory’s promising start soon came under threat from the home side, the Dragons piling pressure on the A-League representatives, buoyed by the slim hope of qualification if Gamba slipped up in Thailand.

Melbourne ‘keeper Michael Theoklitos made a string of crucial saves to keep his side level, but the Dragons continued to breath fire into their attacks and the equaliser came in the 37th minute when a mishit cross from the left by Chunnam striker Ko Ki-Gu caught Theoklitos off-guard.

Chunnam continued to press for the winner in the second half, but struggled to find an opening; their attacks lacking penetration and creativity.

Danny Allsopp could have secured all three points with opportunities in the 51st minute and in injury time, but Victory had to settle for a point.

Only 3,000 spectators witnessed what was an unconvincing and unenthusiastic performance from both sides, posing the question that had the ACL competition had an extra qualifying position for second place in the group, the match may have produced a more thrilling contest.

Merrick defended his inclusion of several new players in the squad such as Elasi, Under-20 captain Sebastian Ryall and youngster Evan Berger in the side, saying that the main aim was to secure all three points, but not at the expense of experimentation with new faces.

The Victory manager also highlighted that the A-League’s salary cap and Melbourne’s lesser financial capabilities had been the difference between his side and the other Group G sides which have so far condemned the Victory to bottom place in the group.

Currently only one point behind second place, Victory will look to their last match of the campaign, against Thailand’s Chonburi FC at the Telstra Dome, to finish in a more respectable position.

Whilst Melbourne’s ACL campaign has been somewhat disappointing, fellow A-League representatives Adelaide United remain unbeaten in Group E of the competition and are one point away from securing a historic place in the knock-out stages.

Facing arguably easier group opponents than the Victory, in the form of Chinese outfit Changchun Yatai FC, Korea’s Phohang Steelers and Vietnam minnows Binh Duong FC, United has won four and draw one of its five group matches and sit two points clear of second-placed Changchun.

A superb run and strike from United’s Brazilian midfielder Diego against Pohang Steelers at Hindmarsh Stadium secured a 1-0 win and placed the Reds in pole position to qualify last Wednesday.

In their final group match, the South Australian club travels to China in a top of the table clash against Changchun where a win or draw for United will be enough to progress, however their dreams of qualification will be over if they succumb to the Chinese side.