The Western Sydney Wanderers have gone down 3-2 to FC Seoul in their Asian Champions League Group F clash at Campbelltown Stadium on Tuesday night.
The away side took a 3-0 lead through goals from Seok Hyun and a double from Dejan, and despite a late comeback with goals from Terry Antonis and Lachlan Scott, the Wanderers were unable to avoid defeat.
The result leaves the Wanderers needing two monumental results in their final two games to qualify out of the group.
The game had barley settled when Seoul took the lead after just four minutes, Seok Hyun firing home a first-time bullet from outside the area.
Following the goal, the away side took to camping in their own half, content to let the Wanderers control possession.
The Red & Black’s best chance of finding a reply came when Jumpei Kusukami found some space on the right before cutting the ball back to Mitch Nichols on the edge of the area but the skipper couldn’t keep his shot under the crossbar.
Despite controlling much of the first half, the Wanderers would enter the break two goals down, Dejan converting a penalty after Scott Neville was adjudged to have fouled Maurinho in the box.
Seoul would add a third when Dejan grabbed his second of the match with a powerful snap shot past Vedran Janjetovic’s near post.
The Wanderers were undeterred by the three-goal deficit and reduced the margin in the 77th minute, as Antonis netted his second goal of the campaign, finishing off a smart cutback from Kusukami.
Tony Popovic’s side continued to push and found a second through Lachlan Scott in stoppage time, the young striker also netting his second goal of the competition with a beautiful header from a Nico Martínez cross.
The full time whistle would end the Wanderers’ comeback, who now sit bottom of the group with three points from their four matches.
The Red & Black’s next Asian Champions League game will be away to Urawa Red Diamonds on Wednesday 26 April.
The Wanderers’ attention will now turn to Saturday’s final match of the regular Hyundai A-League away to Adelaide United, before next week’s elimination semi-final on Friday night against one of Brisbane Roar, Melbourne City and Perth Glory.
