Melbourne City suffered late heartbreak in Japan on Wednesday night, conceding an unfortunate goal in the 94th minute to go down 1-0 to Vissel Kobe.
Up until those dying seconds, City had produced a valiant display in challenging away conditions, giving ourselves every chance to leave with at least a point. Despite the disappointment, there were plenty of positives to take from a resolute performance against a strong J-League outfit.
Team News
Aurelio Vidmar was forced into three changes to his starting XI, with Max Caputo away on international duty, and Andreas Kuen and Mathew Leckie sidelined with quad and hamstring injuries respectively. Harry Shillington, Zane Schreiber, and Emin Durakovic were introduced in their place.
Ben Mazzeo (knee) and Medin Memeti (hamstring) were also unavailable but, along with Kuen and Leckie, are expected to be in the mix for selection by Round 1 of the A-League Men’s season.
Liam Bonetig was also away on international duty, while Ale Lopane (ankle) and Lawrence Wong (knee) are unfortunately set for longer stints on the sidelines after recently undergoing surgery.
Starting XI: 1. Patrick BEACH (GK), 36. Harry SHILLINGTON, 22. Germán FERREYRA, 26. Samuel SOUPRAYEN, 16. Aziz BEHICH (C), 27. Kai TREWIN, 19. Zane SCHREIBER, 10. Takeshi KANAMORI, 13. Nathaniel ATKINSON, 39. Emin DURAKOVIC, 47. Kavian RAHMANI.
Substitutes: 33. Dakota OCHSENHAM (GK), 11. Elbasan RASHANI, 15. Andrew NABBOUT, 38. Beckham BAKER, 34. Jayden NECOVSKI, 44. Besian KUTLESHI, 45. Ryan KALMS, 46. Akeem GERALD, 48. Mathew BAKER, 53. Angus MACKINTOSH, 54. Luke BECVINOVSKI.
What happened?
Kobe started the match with early pressure, winning the opening two corners within the first ten minutes. Despite this, the game was evenly contested in the opening exchanges, with both sides having spells of possession.
City tested Kobe’s defence in the 12th minute with a free-kick from Takeshi Kanamori, but his delivery was just too wide to create a clear chance.
The pitch, in less-than-ideal condition, made building play from the back difficult, but City handled it with composure.
Kanamori’s persistence paid off in the 21st minute when he won a free-kick in a dangerous area. Aziz Behich’s cross found Schreiber, whose low strike was deflected out for a corner – City’s best chance of the half.
Samuel Souprayen and Behich were commanding in defence, with the latter also pushing forward whenever possible.
By the half-hour mark, City had begun to string together possession, though progress into the final third remained challenging.
Neither team created a clear-cut opportunity before the break, making for a solid, if cagey, first half from City.
The second half saw Kobe turn up the pressure further, testing Beach on several occasions.
Our number one remained composed though, making a key reflex save in the 79th minute to deny a point-blank header from Taisei Miyashiro and keep City within touching distance of at least a point.
Vidmar introduced Elbasan Rashani for his City debut in the 68th minute, followed shortly by Beckham Baker, who made his first ACL appearance when Shillington was forced off through injury.
A historic moment arrived in the 84th minute when Akeem Gerald became the youngest player ever to feature in the ACL, while Besian Kutleshi made his senior City debut.
City continued to withstand Kobe’s pressure, with Trewin nearly snatching a winner, only for his effort to drift just over the bar in stoppage time.
From the ensuing corner though, Kobe finally found a way past City’s defence.
Beach initially made a solid save, but the rebound deflected off Souprayen and fell perfectly for Koya Yuruki, who rolled the ball into an open net.
City did have one further corner to push for an equaliser, but it wasn’t to be.
What’s next?
City will now turn their attention to A-League Men’s preparations ahead of Round 1, travelling to face Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday 18 October.
We then return to our home venue for ACL Elite commitments the following Tuesday against Buriram United, before welcoming Perth Glory for our first ALM home match of the season on Saturday 25 October.
