Melbourne City continued our impressive continental form on Tuesday night, securing a vital 2-0 win over Malaysian giants Johor Darul Ta’zim at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.
Goals at either end of the 90 minutes from City Academy graduates Max Caputo and Medin Memeti proved decisive, but the story of the night was City’s resilience, with Aurelio Vidmar’s side weathering sustained pressure to claim a historic third consecutive win in Asia.
The result marks the first time our Men’s team has ever won three straight AFC fixtures, while also making City the first Australian side to achieve the feat in the AFC Champions League’s top tier since 2016.
Team News
Aurelio Vidmar made two adjustments to the XI that took to the pitch in Adelaide last Friday. Socceroo Kai Trewin returned to the starting lineup after his international duties in the United States, operating in midfield alongside Zane Schreiber and Andreas Kuen.
Harry Shillington came back in at right-back, while Liam Bonetig retained his place next to Germán Ferreyra in the heart of defence.
There was further good news on the team sheet with experienced defender Samuel Souprayen included on the bench for the first time since suffering a hamstring injury just over a month ago.
Starting XI: 1. Patrick BEACH (GK), 36. Harry SHILLINGTON, 22. Germán FERREYRA, 4. Liam BONETIG, 16. Aziz BEHICH (C), 27. Kai TREWIN, 19. Zane SCHREIBER, 30. Andreas KUEN, 47. Kavian RAHMANI, 10. Takeshi KANAMORI, 17. Max CAPUTO.
Substitutes: 33. Dakota OCHSENHAM (GK), 60. Lachie CHARLES, 15. Andrew NABBOUT, 20. Ben MAZZEO, 26. Samuel SOUPRAYEN, 34. Jayden NECOVSKI, 35. Medin MEMETI, 37. Peter ANTONIOU, 38. Beckham BAKER, 45. Ryan KALMS, 53. Angus MACKINTOSH.
What happened?
City made a sharp start and nearly found the opener inside the opening minute, with Trewin whipping an early ball toward Caputo that was just too high for the striker to turn goalward.
Moments later, City’s first corner of the night produced the perfect result. Takeshi Kanamori delivered a superb, looping ball into the area, and Caputo rose above the Johor defence to nod home his sixth goal in eight games.
Johor responded with a strong spell of pressure, and City’s defensive structure was immediately put to the test. Liam Bonetig produced two crucial interventions – one a brave block inside the area in the 17th minute, and another a vital clearance to prevent a clear scoring chance after a dangerous move down the right.
Patrick Beach was called into action shortly before halftime, tipping Bergson’s effort over the bar after a defensive miscue, before producing a sharp low save at his near post to deny Jairo in the 45th minute. Despite City’s bright start, Johor finished the half on top, registering seven shots to City’s five, with Trewin and Schreiber working tirelessly in midfield to absorb wave after wave of pressure.
City emerged with renewed purpose after the break and created a strong chance for Schreiber early in the half, only for a last-ditch block to deny what would’ve been a brilliant team goal. The tempo increased as both teams pushed forward, with the contest producing a thrilling end-to-end spell.
Beach again stood tall in the 61st minute, reacting brilliantly to a point-blank effort from Bergson. Substitute Besian Kutleshi made a big impact in his midfield cameo, nearly finding the bottom corner in the 73rd minute with a powerful effort that had the keeper beaten.
Johor continued to threaten, and the visitors should have equalised in the 80th minute when Jairo found himself with an open goal – only to balloon his effort into the crossbar, with Beach gathering gratefully on the rebound.
City pushed hard to seal the result late, with Behich denied by a strong save and Andrew Nabbout firing wide after being slipped through by Kutleshi.
But the decisive moment arrived in the 91st minute, when a pair of substitutes combined. Beckham Baker switched play with a lofted ball to the opposite wing, which Medin Memeti ran onto before driving into the area, beating his defender and smashing home our second off the underside of the crossbar to send City fans into celebration and lock in a hard-fought victory.
What’s next?
City now turns our attention back to domestic action, with consecutive away trips to New South Wales to face Central Coast and the Newcastle Jets over the next two weekends.
Continental football then returns on Wednesday 10 December, when City travels to Seoul for Matchday 6 of the AFC Champions League Elite.
