Macarthur Bulls have booked their spot in the AFC Champions League Two round of 16 after overcoming Tai Po 2-1 on Thursday night thanks to a brace from Luke Vickery.
Mile Sterjovski’s side found themselves a goal down to their Hong Kong opponents in the 24th minute of the game when midfielder Igor Sartori’s powerful deflected drive squeezed past goalkeeper Filip Kurto at his near post.
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Former Premier League striker Ji Dong-won came close to levelling in the 39th minute before the home side eventually restored parity shortly after the break.
Receiving the ball on the edge of the Tai Po box from Luke Brattan having just come on as a substitute, Vickery skipped past his man before lashing a shot towards goal which took a hefty deflection before then nestling into the back of the net to make it 1-1.
PHOTO CREDIT: AFC WEBSITE
The home side then finally took the lead on the night and it came via another bit of quality from Brattan.
Lining up a free-kick from 25 metres out, the Socceroos midfielder bent a dipping shot which crashed off the post and across the face of goal, and it was then turned home by Vickery from a tight angle to bag his second of the evening.
The Bulls did survive a late scare with Kurto called into action in the 90th minute as he flew to his right to tip a bending effort away from goal to ensure the home side secured their third win of the group stage.
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The result, coupled with CAHN’s dramatic 2-1 win over Beijing Guoan, means the Bulls have booked safe passage through to the next round of the competition.
Sat top of the group with 10 points from five games, Macarthur are two points ahead of CAHN with one game left to play, with the Vietnamese side also booking their spot in the last 16.
Macarthur travel to China to face Beijing Guoan in their final group stage match on December 11, knowing a draw will be enough to guarantee them top spot in the group, given their superior head-to-head record over CAHN.
MAIN PHOTO CREDIT: THE AFC
