Asian Champions League 2010

Melbourne wins against dominant Kawasaki
 by Peter Humffray

Group E - Round 4 - 2nd Leg
7:30pm, Tuesday 23 March, 2009
at Docklands Stadium, Melbourne


Melbourne Victory FC 1
(Kevin Muscat 60'pen)
defeated
Kawasaki Frontale FC 0


(Photo linked from AFC site)

Melbourne Victory kept alive its AFC Champions' League hopes with a 1-0 win against Japan's Kawasaki Frontale at Docklands Stadium on Wednesday evening.

Kevin Muscat put aside memories of his Grand Final penalty miss by converting from the spot on the hour after Robbie Kruse had been brought down.

Kawasaki will rue the number of chances it squandered. The J-League side held the upper hand in every aspect but for what counted. Victory goalkeeper Mitchell Langerak was overworked but was able to keep out everything that was thrown at him in a man-of-the-match display, whilst his opposite number, Eiji Kawashima, was scarcely involved.

After a tentative opening ten minutes, Kawasaki front-man Masuru Kurotsu almost stole in on a deflected pass from Junichi Inamoto which caught out Muscat and Rody Vargas playing alongside each other as twin centre-backs.

Minutes later it took some desperate defending from Adrian Leijer to keep out a shot from Renatinho as Kawasaki retained the ball across the face of the penalty-area with Nick Ward and Muscat unable to get a clearing touch.

Just after the first-half's mid-point, Renatinho took possession of a through-ball at the half-way line and outpaced Surat Sukha up the right before letting loose a low drive to the far-post. Langerak had to dive at full-length to get the touch which sent it wide for a corner.

Kawasaki continued to press in its quest for the win its faltering Champions' League campaign required. Melbourne had done better than it had managed in Japan the previous week when the game had already been lost by this stage, but had provided little to encourage the tiny turnout of fans lost in the cavernous stadium.

With the pattern of the game now bedded own, Langerak had to be alert twice in a minute, denying Kurotsu both times. The first arose when Kurotsu burst past Muscat and shot low to the near post. Langerak dived to get the touch which sent it wide for a corner. From the corner, a ball was lofted in to where Kurotsu rose highest to head powerfully goalwards only for Langerak again to make an effective intervention.

Robbie Kruse brought up Melbourne's only chance to that point when Ward was quick to see the possibilities of a speedily-taken throw behind the Kawasaki defenders, allowing Kruse a run and shot from an acute angle. The combination of the narrow target and the youngster's aim being astray meant the chance vanished as rapidly as it had arisen.

The second half began with Kawasaki again showing enterprise. Defender Yusuke Mori broke from deep up the right wing, and cut the ball back to Renatinho inside the penalty-area. Muscat was fortunate to make the block with his trailing leg which diverted the ball past the near post with Langerak diving in the opposite direction in response to the ball's original trajectory.

The balance tipped Melbourne's way when Tanukobu Komiyama was adjudged by Iranian referee Saeid Mozaffarisadehyazdi to have bundled Kruse over inside the area after Kruse had run onto a route one ball begun by Langerak and headed on by Carlos Hernandez. Muscat converted from the spot to give Melbourne an unlikely lead.

The penalty award seemed generous on the grounds both of an offence and its location. Such matters did not occupy Muscat, Victory, or its fans however, all looking for some succour, however small, to hold against its traumatic month.

As if to confirm the unrepresentative nature of the goal, Kawasaki required Langerak to make another fine save to divert away for a corner a stinging shot on the turn from Kurotsu. And shortly after, Langerak's touch put a shot from Yusuke Tasaka onto the bar and over for a corner.

In the game's last minute, as Kawasaki piled everyone but the lonely Kawashima forward, Langerak again made a magnificent reaction save as the ball ricocheted around in the six-yard box before a wild Kawasaki shot deflected off a desperate Victory leg to send it towards the net high in the corner, tipped away at the last second by Langerak, stretching every sinew in his effort.

It was a crowning moment to a magnificent goalkeeping display, heart-breaking for Kawasaki, but keeping a Melbourne interest in this year's Asian adventure.

Melbourne Victory's chances of progressing to the knockout stage of the AFC Champions League have received another boost after K-League side Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma scored a 1-0 win over 10-man Beijing Guoan. Victory's next ACL game is in Melbourne against Beijing Guoan on Wednesday 14th April.

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