Melbourne fans' euphoria at overcoming Sydney FC in thrilling fashion on Sunday evening was slightly dented by a disappointing 0-2 home loss to Korean outfit Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma on Tuesday in the AFC Champions League. Melbourne's continental form has not yet matched its domestic form, with the loss to a well-drilled Seongnam consigning Victory to the bottom half of Group E with, perhaps surprisingly, Japan's Kawasaki Frontale.
The match was also met with a cold reception from the Melbourne public, with just 7,899 fans turning up to a cavernous Docklands. The figure was Melbourne Victory's lowest ever crowd for a competitive fixture and is disappointing no matter how one analyses it. Melbourne's opening Champions League fixture in 2008 against Korea's Chunnam Dragons drew somewhere around 23,000. The 15,000 drop in attendance, as well as poor finals crowds in Melbourne and Sydney, must be worrying for Football Federation Australia who needs to do more in backing those who support the A-League.
Despite possessing an enviable domestic record in Australia and advancing to its second straight home A-League Grand Final, Victory's continental form just hasn't quite lived up to the hype. I think Melbourne has had some rotten luck during its Champions League runs, with talisman Archie Thompson and playmaker Carlos Hernandez missing for most of the 2008 campaign. Likewise, this campaign the sides put out by Ernie Merrick have not been full strength, with Archie Thompson, Robbie Kruse, Matthew Kemp, and Kevin Muscat not lining up in matches for one reason or another.
Victory's all-time Champions League record now stands at 2 wins, 1 draw, and 5 losses, a less than inspiring haul for a side so successful domestically. With tough away trips to Kawasaki and Seongnam still to come, it is likely that Melbourne will once again miss out on progression to the next round. Somewhat amusingly, fellow Australian side Adelaide United finished stone cold motherless last this A-League season, but has enjoyed two resurgent wins in Asia thanks to smart recruiting and a gameplan which is proven in Champions League football.
Maybe we'll just have to wait until 2011 to see what Melbourne can really do in Asia.
Friday, March 12, 2010
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