Melbourne Victory boss Kevin Muscat stays positive after late City equaliser
Melbourne Victory boss Kevin Muscat remained positive despite the team conceding a late goal against rivals Melbourne City on derby day, which cost them two points and the top spot in the A-League.
Victory began the season losing two consecutive games, with Ola Toivonen performing admirably so far. The Swede was on the score sheet again after 55 minutes after coolly slotting home a cross from Kosta Barbarouses.
After battling and holding the lead all the way to the death, a stoppage time goal from Dario Vidosic saw City deny what would have otherwise been a seventh consecutive win for Muscat’s men.
While some may attribute the draw to the absence of star midfielder Keisuke Honda, the manager seemed unfazed.
“Because the goal comes late, very late in the piece, it can feel like you lost the game,” Muscat told the press.
“But the reality is we’ve drawn the game. I thought there was a lot to like about our performance tonight.
“In the first half we were playing some good stuff without hurting them too much, without, you know, really asking some questions.
He added: “And then the second half I thought we upped the intensity, upped the amount of passes we played forward, asked more questions of them and scored an excellent goal, scored a tremendous goal.
“In the end, you concede a goal in the 92nd minute. That’s life.”
Victory are one-point shy of league leaders Perth Glory, and take on Wellington Phoenix in the next round of games in the A-League.
