Wanderers gain confidence after rescuing ACL campaign in Korea
Coach Tony Popovic senses FC Seoul will again be there for the taking when revived Western Sydney resume their Asian Champions League campaign in four weeks.
The Wanderers rescued their floundering continental foray in the nick of time on Wednesday night, edging the K-League giants 3-2 in Korea despite nearly blowing a three-goal lead.
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The assured performance breathed life into an A-League outfit smarting from a horrid few weeks at home and abroad, where 4-0 and 5-1 ACL annihilations to Urawa Red Diamonds and Shanghai SIPG left them on the brink of an early exit.
It also restored some patriotic pride as the first win for an Australian club in the 2017 tournament.
Brisbane’s hopes of progressing from Group E appear marginal after Tuesday’s 3-0 defeat to Kashima Antlers in Japan, while Adelaide’s high-octane 3-3 draw with Jeju United on Wednesday keeps them within touching distance of Group H’s top two.
The third-placed Wanderers (three points) are the only A-League team no longer last at the group-stage midpoint, though results must fall their way to catch Group F leaders SIPG (nine points) and Urawa (six points).
Popovic said the victory had injected much-needed belief that his squad would take to Campbelltown Stadium against Seoul on 11 April.
“We will gain a lot of confidence from this performance and result,” Popovic said. “Now we want to repeat this at our home ground. If we can all be fit and healthy I believe we give ourselves a very good opportunity to get another three points against FC Seoul.”
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Meanwhile, Adelaide coach Guillermo Amor is demanding more from his players after their stirring draw against Korea’s Jeju United. The Reds twice came from behind on Wednesday night in Adelaide to bank their first Asian Champions League point in the process.
But while full of praise for the character of his side, Amor now wants more. “The result is one point – we need more points,” he said.
Adelaide remarkably twice equalised within a minute of the Koreans scoring, in a match which unexpectedly caught fire – after a scoreless opening half, the six goals came in a frenzied 34-minute span.
Amor said the Reds could take great heart from their fightbacks. “The players, it’s true that they play and work very well,” he said. “This is football ... in the moment of 1-2, and 2-3, it was difficult.”
The Reds were advantaged by a nine-day rest entering the fixture – the Koreans played in their domestic league last Saturday before travelling to Australia.
Adelaide, now with a draw and two losses in the Asian tournament, now turn their attention to the A-League where they are anchored in last spot ahead of Sunday’s home match against Brisbane.