Melbourne City boss Aurelio Vidmar praised the character of his young side after they qualified for the knockout rounds of the AFC Champions League Elite for the first time on Wednesday night.
City were sat inside the top eight heading into their away clash with South Korean side Ulsan HD and knew a win over their opponents would see them qualify for the next round.
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Max Caputo headed the visitors in front in the 36th minute care of a brilliant delivery from Marcus Younis before Ulsan hit back in the 80th minute through Darijan Bojanic.
However, City snatched the win deep in stoppage time as Younis lashed home a volley from inside the box to give Vidmar’s side all three points in an impressive 2-1 win.
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“We’re very, very happy about tonight’s victory,” said Vidmar when speaking at his post-match press conference.
“I thought we played a very, very good first half. We controlled a lot of the game. Our pressure was very good.
“And then in the second half, we started well but I think in probably 15-20 minutes in Ulsan started to get some momentum and then it was a game that was probably a 50-50 game at that stage and we were very happy that Marcus was able to score a goal in the last minutes.”
The result ensures City have sealed safe passage through to the last 16 of the ACL Elite, something no Australian side has done since 2020, when Melbourne Victory qualified for the knockout rounds.
“(It) should be a very proud moment for Melbourne City Football Club. It’s the first time an A-League club has made the second round of the ACL elite.
“I know the competitions only been going on (for) two years, but for us, a squad that we have in terms of how young it is compared to all the other squads.
“We are very, very young side, and to be able to get to the next round is a true testament of the right attitude and the characters of players that we have here in this group.
“So (I’m) pleased for the players and also very pleased for the club.”
A mid-season signing on loan from Danish side Brondby, Younis has enjoyed a fine start to his Melbourne City career having now scored three goals and registered one assist in his first four matches for the club.
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“I’m very, very happy and very honoured to be given as much opportunity as I have and I think I’ve got a great bunch of players around me, coaches around me, to help me as much as possible.
“Everyone puts in 100% effort throughout the week at training, and I feel confident in myself and in my teammates to do the job, week in, week out.
“I’m just very thankful for the opportunity that’s been given to me. It’s not just myself doing these things, it’s the team. It’s a team job. Just thankful to God and my family that have helped me in the last month.
He added: “As you know, things haven’t been going pretty well for the last six months, so it’s really nice for the rewards to start reaping out now individually and as a team. So very thankful.”
City will now be hoping to secure a spot in the top two of the ACL Elite with a win over Gangwon in the final round of the league phase.
For that to happen, City will need to beat Korean side Gangwon and hope Japanese duo Sanfrecce and Machida Zelvia fail to win their final league phase matches.
**Main picture credit: AFC
