Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Melbourne: Coach Kevin Muscat was unable to hide his disappointment after Melbourne Victory again allowed their performance to slip in the second half on Wednesday as the A-League side were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the AFC Champions League.
Two goals in four second-half minutes from Jeonbuk striker Lee Dong-gook had left Melbourne facing a second consecutive defeat in Group G despite Nicholas Ansell’s 31st minute opener at Docklands Stadium.
But having allowed a two-goal half-time lead to slip away in last month’s 4-2 defeat by defending champions Guangzhou Evergrande in China, Kosta Barbarouses struck with nine minutes remaining to salvage a point for the home side.
“There is a little bit of disappointment in both the performance and the result. I thought in the first half we looked solid enough, we were causing some problems and had our fair share of the ball, albeit I thought it was an even contest in the first half but we looked dangerous and created some good opportunities. I was relatively satisfied at half-time,” said Muscat.
“They stepped right on in the second half because we didn’t make enough runs going the other way and that stopped us keeping possession of the ball.
“But if you look right through our squad, we had a very young team out tonight, and I thought they handled themselves very well and they will be much better off for the experience.
“There are still a lot of points to play for; we still have two home games left. That’s what is disappointing about tonight, we got ahead and we couldn’t hold on. But we are a very young team and showed some character to score a very good goal. Maybe there was a lesson learned from China because the same thing happened, we retreated and didn’t have too many options going forward. But after going 2-1 down there was a reaction.”
Opposite number Choi Kang-hee, meanwhile, was much more positive about the result for the 2006 champions despite the late equaliser as Jeonbuk added to last month’s 3-0 home win over Japan’s Yokohama F. Marinos.
“It was a very tough game for us. We were concerned about the fitness levels as most of the players played on Saturday. The total journey to Melbourne was 22 or 23 hours so unfortunately the recovery was not complete. But I am happy as the players did their best and I accept the result,” said Jeonbuk coach Choi.
“I wanted the players to apply pressure in the midfield, but we failed to do this in the first half so I was a little disappointed as it did not go as planned.
“Our ambition and goal in the AFC Champions League is to win the championship, but it is a very tough schedule as we have to play three games in six days. It is very important to play well in the group stage and qualify for the Round of 16.”