Melbourne Metropolis are on the point of a group-stage elimination from the Asian Champions League after slipping to a 1-1 draw with Zhejiang FC, with the outcome additional soured by an damage to Mathew Leckie.
Metropolis wanted to win and depend on Ventforet Kofu to both lose or draw with Buriram United to high group H and assure development to the spherical of 16.
Tolgay Arslan’s aim put the hosts in entrance within the 54th minute in entrance of two,487 followers at Princes Park, just for Metropolis to cough up an equaliser to Nyasha Mushekwi within the 99th minute.
Kofu beat Buriram 3-2 to seal high spot and Metropolis now want a number of outcomes to fall their means throughout Tuesday and Wednesday nights to qualify as one of many three finest second-placed groups.
“Clearly, very disappointing. Yeah, that hurts lots as a result of it was the final minute, we simply didn’t cope with that nook very properly in any respect,” coach Aurelio Vidmar mentioned.
“Yeah, properly. It’s just a little bit arduous now isn’t it?
Melbourne Metropolis’s Jamie McLaren. (Picture by Daniel Pockett/Getty Pictures)
“So we’re actually going to depend on the outcomes for us.
“However I believe we did sufficient tonight (that we) ought to have taken these three factors and we’d have been sitting fairly tonight however we now have to attend.
“Perform a little little bit of praying. Now the heavens have opened up – possibly that that’s an indication for tomorrow as properly.”
Leckie limped off within the 61st minute holding his proper hamstring – the alternative leg to the left knee damage that delayed his begin to the season.
“He felt a little bit of ache behind his leg so I’m probably not positive precisely what it’s,” Vidmar mentioned.
“So we simply have to attend an assess with the medical employees tomorrow and the subsequent couple of days.”
Leckie was injured in innocuous circumstances and was changed by Jamie Maclaren.
Maclaren began the sport on the bench on account of a lingering ankle difficulty, which Vidmar mentioned he had been struggling to place weight on or flip with.
Each attackers’ points might be of some concern to Socceroos boss Graham Arnold forward of January’s Asian Cup, with the squad to be named later this month.
With out all-time main goalscorer Maclaren, Metropolis seemed toothless in assault within the opening half.
Metropolis got here out of half-time with further impetus and Steven Ugarkovic powered house a Marin Jakolis cross within the 52nd minute but it surely was chalked off for a foul after Leckie grabbed the shirt of Leung Nok Hold.
Two minutes later Ugarkovic teed up Arslan to faucet house.
A number of flares had been set off after the disallowed probability with one other after the aim.
Metropolis acquired a penalty within the 74th when substitute Harry Politidis went down below contact, but it surely was overturned after a VAR evaluation.
However Metropolis had been below strain from there and conceded when Mushekwi bundled house within the dying seconds.
Zhejiang’s Dongsheng Wang was despatched off on the finish for a problem on Politidis.
© AAP
