Melbourne Victory withstood an early assault in Suwon as Kevin Muscat’s men departed Korea with a valuable point.
Suwon dominated the first half, recording nine shots to one by the half hour mark, but were unable to convert their dominance into scoreboard pressure.
Kwon Chang-hoon put the Bluewings ahead in the 58th, but a reply from Kosta Barbarouses levelled the scores less than two minutes later. A nervous finish ensued, but both sides emerged with a point.
The result sees Melbourne remain second on the Group G table behind Shanghai SIPG, while Suwon sit third, three points behind Victory and one ahead of Gamba Osaka.
How did the Victory players fare?
Lawrence Thomas – 9: Blocked a second shot after Leigh Broxham’s goal-line clearance in the 19th minute. A desperate leap saved another in the 35th, despite conjecture over whether it crossed the line. Clearly his side’s best, the latest in a string of outstanding performances.
Jason Geria – 7: Forced to go sideways with preferred target Barbarouses well held. Rarely played in by Mahazi who looked to the left wing. Booked in the 79th for a challenge that appeared only to collect the ball.
Leigh Broxham – 6: Moved into central-defence, replacing Nick Ansell. Saved a certain goal in the 19th, after giving Suwon the opportunity to score in the first instance.
Matthieu Delpierre – 7.5: Looked slow early and an uncharacteristic mistake led to a near miss for the Bluewings. Was back to his usual self in the second half. Combined with Archie Thompson for Barbarouses to draw Melbourne level once again.
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Daniel Georgievski – 4: Struggled to get near the ball early. Perhaps lucky to escape a booking for a ruthless sliding challenge early in the second half. Passing was poor even when he had space.
Rashid Mahazi – 4.5: Was well suited to Victory’s low-tempo ball retention early in the first half, a strategy met with jeers by the locals. The pressure ramped up shortly after, and his sideways passing game led to a series of turnovers. Substituted off late in the piece.
Oliver Bozanic – 5.5: Played even further back than usual, despite the absence of resident playmaker Gui Finkler from Victory’s ACL squad. Wayward going forward, a wasted night after a fruitful fortnight in the A-League.
Archie Thompson – 6.5: Lined up at number 10 in the absence of Finkler. Had a fair bit of play early with Barbarouses and Jai Ingham well held on the wings, but found no space to pass through. Eventually found Barbarouses for Victory’s equaliser in the 58th.
Kosta Barbarouses – 7: Given no room to move in the first half, and the frustration was obvious. Found some space early in the second half and punished Suwon accordingly, drawing Victory level once again.
Jai Ingham – 4.5: Saw little of the ball in the first half, with play mostly directed through the middle. Earned a yellow card for a sliding challenge early in the second half. Taken off for Jesse Makarounas in the 68th minute.
Besart Berisha – 6: A slap to the face early went unrewarded by the referee, and the pickings from his team mates were similarly slim. Took on three Bluewings defenders in the 76th and his floating shot nearly deceived Suwon goalkeeper No Dong-geon.
Substitutes
Giancarlo Gallifuoco – N/A: Came on for Mahazi in the 84th. Made two clearances deep in defence in extra time.
George Howard – N/A: Came on late with little time to make an impact.
Jesse Makarounas – 5: Came on for Ingham in the 68th. Moved into the 10 with Thompson pushing wide.
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