Melbourne Victory edge Yokohama F. Marinos 1-0 in a AFC Champions League action

Photo courtesy AFC.
AFC: Melbourne (March 18, 2014) An early goal from Kosta Barbarouses proved the difference as Melbourne Victory edged out Japan’s Yokohama F. Marinos 1-0 in the AFC Champions League on Tuesday to register their first win in Group G.
 
With both sides seeking their first three points of their respective continental campaigns, Barbarouses’ goal after just eight minutes was enough to give the A-League side the win despite Yokohama dominating for much of the game and hitting the crossbar in the second half through Jungo Fujimoto.
 
The Emperor’s Cup winners now face an uphill task to make the knockout stages of the AFC Champions League with Yokohama now bottom of the group and three points off third place Melbourne, who travel to Japan in two weeks’ time.
 
Having picked up their first point of the campaign last week against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, Melbourne took the lead in their first meaningful attack against Yokohama as visiting defender Fabio lost the ball to James Jeggo on the halfway line and the midfielder threaded a fine pass through to the unmarked Barbarouses, who slotted the ball between the legs of the diving Tetsuya Enomoto.
 
From then on the J.League side dominated the first half, desperate to draw the scores level, and Yokohama went close through a long range Yuta Mikado shot that went narrowly over on 29 minutes.
 
Just before half-time, both sides had good opportunities with Manabu Saito playing in Yuhei Sato, who fired wide from close range, and then a rare counter from Melbourne saw Barbarouses curl a drive narrowly wide of Enomoto’s bottom corner.
 
Playmaker Fujimoto was brought on at half-time for the visitors and he went close to an equaliser on 54 minutes with a curling left-footed free-kick from 20-yards out that hit the crossbar.
 
The midfielder went close again just eight minutes later after bursting through on goal, but Fujimoto could only poke wide as Melbourne custodian Lawrence Thomas was quick off his line.
 
Three minutes later Thomas was performing heroics again as he saved Saito’s long range effort and then smothered Sato’s follow-up.
 
But Yokohama’s stranglehold on the game was nearly blown wide open on 74 minutes as Barbarouses thought he had doubled his and Melbourne’s tally with a smart volleyed finish from close-range, but his effort was ruled out for offside.
 
And despite Yokohama boasting over 60% of possession for the majority of the second half, they struggled to create further clear cut chances despite piling the pressure on the stout Melbourne backline.
 
In fact, the home side had the two best chances to increase their lead in the final minutes of the game with substitute Tomas Rogic seeing an effort curl wide before the same player fired a shot from close range that was well saved by Enomoto.