'Rotation for K League' FC Seoul Suffers Heavy Defeat in Away Match Against Melbourne in ACL2

FC Seoul, on the verge of claiming its first K League 1 title in 10 years, suffered its second consecutive defeat on the Asian stage after fielding a rotated squad.

Seoul suffered a 0-3 defeat after conceding three goals in the second half alone during their away match against Melbourne Victory (Australia) in the Group E second match of the 2026-2027 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Two (ACL2) held at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on October 14.

Having lost 0-1 to Persib Bandung (Indonesia) in their opening home match last month, Seoul remains at the bottom of the group with two losses.

Melbourne increased its points to 4 with one win and one draw.

Seoul can secure the K League 1 title early during the upcoming 32nd round this weekend.

If second-place Ulsan HD draws or loses against Bucheon FC in their home match on October 17, and Seoul defeats Gimcheon Sangmu in its home match on October 18, Seoul will top the league for the first time in 10 years since 2016, regardless of the results of the remaining six matches for each team.

Because of this, most of the regular starters were left out of the 20 players who made the trip to Melbourne for this away match.

Only foreign players Huiz and Vato were included.

In Seoul's 4-4-2 formation, Huiz and Cheon Sung-hoon formed the twin strikers, while Jung Hyun-woo and Vato played as left and right wingers.

Kim Min-jun and Park Jang-hangyeol paired up in midfield.

The back four consisted of central defenders Lee Han-do and Lee Sang-min, along with left and right fullbacks Park Soo-il and Ahn Jae-min, while Lim Jun-seop guarded the goal.

In the first half, Seoul managed only two shots while Melbourne recorded 11 shots (3 on target).

They had zero shots on target.

In the 44th minute of the first half, Park Jang-hangyeol's right-footed mid-range shot from the front of the penalty arc went well wide of the goal, and in added time, a ball from Park Soo-il's corner kick hit Lee Han-do's shoulder and flew over the crossbar.

Seoul substituted Kim Min-jun for Jung Ha-won, born in 2009, at the start of the second half.

In the 9th minute of the second half, Vato and Lee Sang-min were taken off and replaced by Jung Hyun-woong and Park Sung-hoon.

Right after the player substitution, Huiz connected with a header from the left side of the goal off a cross sent by Park Soo-il from the right flank, but it went straight to the goalkeeper.

It was Seoul's first shot on target of the match.

The match was decided in the 18th minute of the second half.

Capitalizing on a passing error by Seoul, Melbourne intercepted the ball, and in the ensuing attack, Guillermo May took a left-footed shot from the front of the penalty arc that hit the post and came out.

Melbourne's attack continued, and May finished off a ball delivered to the penalty spot with his right foot to break the deadlock.

In the 28th minute of the second half, during a counterattack situation, Seoul conceded an additional goal to Caceres, who received a pass from Denis Genreau and scored with a right-footed shot.

In the 39th minute of the second half, after Huiz's decisive shot was blocked by the goalkeeper, they conceded another goal to Jordi Valadon and fell to defeat.

(Photo provided by Korea Professional Football League, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.