Melbourne City extended our unbeaten run in Asia to four matches on Wednesday night, grinding out a valuable 1-1 draw away to FC Seoul in chilly conditions in South Korea.
On an evening dominated externally by Jesse Lingard’s farewell appearance for the hosts, the former Manchester United man opened the scoring midway through the first half.
City refused to be overshadowed, with substitute Takeshi Kanamori stepping up to deliver a composed second-half equaliser and secure a crucial away point in the AFC Champions League Elite.
Team News
Aurelio Vidmar refreshed his XI after a demanding stretch of travel and a hard-fought weekend win in Newcastle, making four changes to the starting lineup.
Elbasan Rashani returned for his first start since Round 1 of the domestic season, while Nathaniel Atkinson also made his first start in over a month. Zane Schreiber and Emin Durakovic were brought into midfield alongside Andreas Kuen, allowing Kai Trewin to shift into central defence next to Germán Ferreyra.
Starting XI: 1. Patrick BEACH (GK), 13. Nathaniel ATKINSON, 22. Germán FERREYRA, 27. Kai TREWIN, 16. Aziz BEHICH (C), 19. Zane SCHREIBER, 39. Emin DURAKOVIC, 30. Andreas KUEN, 11. Elbasan RASHANI, 47. Kavian RAHMANI, 17. Max CAPUTO.
Substitutes: 33. Dakota OCHSENHAM (GK), 4. Liam BONETIG, 10. Takeshi KANAMORI, 20. Ben MAZZEO, 34. Nathaniel ATKINSON, 35. Medin MEMETI, 36. Harry SHILLINGTON, 37. Peter ANTONIOU, 38. Beckham BAKER, 45. Ryan KALMS, 53. Angus MACKINTOSH.
What happened?
City looked sharp early but were forced into defensive action almost immediately, with Trewin producing a superb fifth-minute block to shut down a dangerous Seoul transition. Rashani made an instant impact on his return to the XI, stretching the hosts down the left and helping City settle quickly in freezing conditions.
The first big chance for City came in the eighth minute when Max Caputo latched onto a clever flick from Atkinson, firing across goal on a difficult half-volley. The opening 20 minutes were evenly matched, but City’s defensive unit – reunited in its Championship-winning configuration for the first time this season – looked composed against Seoul’s pace on the break.
Despite the strong start, Seoul found the opener in the 31st minute through Lingard, who ghosted into space to meet a sweeping cross and guide his finish past Patrick Beach.
Beach responded well shortly after, claiming a sharp effort from Do-Ywoon Hwang, while a flowing City move on the cusp of half-time saw Rashani deliver a tantalising cross that Atkinson was inches away from tapping home. Seoul held on, taking a narrow 1-0 lead into the break.
The second half began with drama, as Rashani was shown an extremely harsh red card only moments after the restart. VAR intervened and rightly downgraded the decision to a yellow, allowing City’s winger to continue and restoring balance to the contest.
From there, the match became a battle of duels, territory, and resolve. Atkinson whipped a brilliant ball in behind for Caputo in the 64th minute, forcing a scrambling save from the Seoul goalkeeper to deny the equaliser. Vidmar turned to his bench soon after, introducing Peter Antoniou and Kanamori – and the impact was immediate.
In the 73rd minute, Antoniou triggered a rapid counterattack and found Rahmani in the middle of the pitch, who slipped Kanamori into space. The Japanese attacker steadied himself before drilling a precise low strike into the bottom corner, netting his second goal for the club and his first in Asia.
City continued to push. A spilled Seoul corner almost created a second shortly afterwards, and further energy arrived with the introductions of Medin Memeti, Ben Mazzeo and Liam Bonetig.
The game grew increasingly physical in the closing stages, with both sides chasing a late winner, but it was Beach who produced the final decisive moment – a sprawling 90th-minute save to deny a powerful late strike and secure the point.
What’s next?
With City scheduled to arrive back in Melbourne on Friday afternoon, the Isuzu UTE A-League fixture originally scheduled for this weekend against Macarthur has been postponed to Tuesday 23 December.
Upon returning home, attention will turn to one of the biggest fixtures of the season: the Christmas Derby. City hosts Melbourne Victory next Saturday night in what promises to be another blockbuster encounter on home soil. Don’t miss it – click here to get your tickets!
