Melbourne Victory have begun their AFC Champions League Two campaign with a 1-1 draw against Thể Công–Viettel in Hanoi.
Giovanni Savarese’s side started brightly and should have held the lead heading into half-time but striker Charles Nduka’s close range header crashed back off the post in the 38th minute.
Victory broke the deadlock in the 58th minute and it was piece of brilliance from Brazilian Clerismario Santos that opened the scoring.
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Picked out by Matthew Grimaldi, the attacker’s deft touch took the ball beyond the retreating Cong defender before he then dispatched his shot into the far corner to make it 1-0.
However Victory’s advantage lasted just four minutes as Lucas Ribamar restoring parity for the Vietnamese hosts to ensure the points were shared at Hang Day Stadium.
“Of course we came here with the goal of winning,” Melbourne Victory Head Coach Giovanni Savarese said when speaking in his post-match press conference.
“However, based on the reality of the match, leaving with one point is important.
“This is also a valuable lesson for the whole team.
He added: “It’s what we expected. This is the team we thought we were going to face.
“Also, they had some new players that are able to compete in this competition so they add that part to it.
“But for us, we knew exactly how this team played and we managed the situation. It’s a difficult team, a strong team, but I think we understood exactly how we had to play this match.”
The result sees Victory take a point from their opening Group E fixture, whilst Indonesian side Persib Bandung currently top the group after defeating Korean outfit FC Seoul 1-0 in their group stage opener.
Victory will now turn their attention back to domestic matters as they prepare for the 2026 Australia Cup Final with NPL Vic side South Melbourne FC.
Following that game Victory will then welcome FC Seoul to AAMI Park on October 14 before then opening their 2026/27 Isuzu UTE A-League campaign against Wellington Phoenix on Sunday, October 18.
