Melbourne City head coach Aurelio Vidmar has praised the performance of young striker Max Caputo following his side’s 2-1 win over Thai champions Buriram United in the ACL Elite.
With the scores level after an even first half at AAMI Park, the deadlock was eventually broken in the 72nd minute when Buriram midfielder Goran Čaušić thumped home from inside the area, much to the delight of the travelling support.
However, City weren’t behind for long as Kosovan winger Elbasan Rashani rifled home his first goal for the club in the 84th minute to set up a grandstand finish.
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And with just seconds left on the clock, young striker Caputo then poked home the winner to hand City their first win in this season’s ACL Elite, after they were previously beaten by Japanese sides Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Vissel Kobe respectively.
“Yeah, very pleased with the three points. I thought overall, we deserved the win,” said Vidmar when speaking at his post-game press conference.
“I know it came pretty late, but we put ourselves in a position. You know, before we scored the goals, they weren’t really doing much going forward. We handled their forward movement quite well.
“So it was a little bit disappointing to concede the goal, but to be honest, the spirit that the players showed, they really wanted to win and (I’m) really, pleased for all of them tonight.”
That late winner for Caputo is the striker’s second goal in as many games after the 20-year-old scored the equaliser in their opening round 1-1 draw with Western Sydney Wanderers in the Isuzu UTE A-League on Saturday.
“It was a top feeling tonight, to do it as a winner. It was a very special moment for me and also the team.
“We knew coming into this game we had zero points, and we were playing at home. So (it’s) a very special feeling for me and the team.”
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Seemingly now full of confidence, Caputo believes there’s one key reason behind his impressive early-season form.
“Last year, I came into the A-League obviously coming off an injury, and now this year I’ve got a proper pre-season under my belt,” said the centre forward, who was also named Player of the Match.
“And yeah I’m now starting to score some goals and find the back of the net I guess.”
According to his head coach though, the foundations for Caputo’s strong early season showing were laid during the 2024-25 campaign.
“I certainly saw a massive shift in Max last year, just prior to when he started to play,” said Vidmar when asked for his assessment of his striker’s performance.
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“He’s always consistent. I think I said that the other day that Max always trains on a consistent level. Doesn’t matter what’s happening, even if he’s having a good day, a bad day. He’s always in the contest, and that’s exactly what he did tonight.
“He had a very difficult game tonight, but he stayed in the contest, and he got himself in a position where it mattered and for me, that’s a really good sign of a striker.
“No matter what is happening in the game – and you can have an off day, you can have an average day, a top day, but you’ve always got to be there, even at the very, very last minute. Max was there tonight, at the last minute when we needed him.
“So full credit to him. He’s got a long way to go. Obviously, he’s always learning every day, so we look forward to him having a really strong season this year.”
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Whilst Caputo’s goal-scoring heroics would no doubt have been a welcome relief for Vidmar, there were a number of negatives to come out of the gutsy 2-1 win at AAMI Park.
Post-game, the Melbourne City head coach confirmed both experienced central defender Samuel Souprayen and young defender Harry Shillington are set for spells on the sideline.
“Sammy has got a problem with his hamstring, and Shillo’s (Shillington) concussed – well he has some form of concussion. So it was quite blurry in one eye, so more than likely concussion.”
Adding more to the Souprayen injury, Vidmar said: “I didn’t really pick it up. The boys were telling me that something’s wrong with him. He had a wretched bit of luck right at the end of last season with the calf.
“That took him a while, and now he’s had that, but, yeah, still don’t know what the outcome (is). We’ll have to wait to speak with the doctor, but if it’s a hammy, I’d say it’d be a few weeks for sure, which would be disappointing because he’s a very stable player for us.”
However, there was some positive news on the injury front for City, with Vidmar confirming Socceroo Matthew Leckie is in line to return to the side this weekend after missing the win over Buriram due to a slight knee issue.
City will be back at AAMI Park once again this weekend when they face Perth Glory on Saturday evening in Round 2 of the Isuzu UTE A-League 2025-26 season.
