Grant Brebner has hailed his Melbourne Victory side after they reached the Asian Champions League round of 16 for the second time in their history with a thrilling 2-1 victory over FC Seoul.
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The equation was simple for Victory heading into Thursday's final group match in Qatar - anything other than a win would send them packing back to Australia.
Some early magic from Marco Rojas and a Jake Brimmer penalty gave Victory a 2-0 lead before halftime, but nerves were jangling when FC Seoul pulled a goal back in the 64th minute.
The Korean powerhouses had several penalty appeals turned down in the final 20 minutes.
The result saw Victory - whose squad was largely compiled of youngsters and new recruits - finish second in Group E, lining up a round-of-16 clash with Group F winners Ulsan Hyundai on Sunday.
"(It's) massive for the club - massive for everybody connected with the club because it's something we've always wanted to do - strive to achieve something in Asia," Brebner said.
"Obviously there's a lot of hard work to go but to get out of the group is a fantastic achievement.
"... We've been together 10 days, not a lot of time, it's been four games in 10 days. But every game we've come out looking better."
Victory made a dream start to Thursday's match, with Rojas producing a nice shimmy before unleashing to score the opener in the fifth minute.
FC Seoul had a penalty appeal waved away in the 17th minute when Victory goalkeeper Max Crocombe bundled over Osmar during an attempted save.
Just five minutes later, Victory were themselves awarded a penalty after Hwang Hyun-Soo's clumsy tackle on Callum McManaman.
Brimmer stepped up to convert the penalty, giving Victory a 2-0 lead and a foot into the knockout stages.
Veteran midfielder Leigh Broxham went off just before halftime with what appeared to be a leg injury.
FC Seoul hit back in the 64th minute following a goalkeeping error.
Crocombe charged off his line in an attempt to cut off a cross, but Hwang Hyun-Soo rose high to meet the ball first and was able to head it into the open net.
Victory dodged a huge bullet in the 70th minute when FC Seoul's penalty appeal for an Adama Traore handball was turned down.
Minutes later, Cho Young-Wook went to ground after slight contact with Victory's Jay Barnett, but his pleas for a penalty fell on deaf ears.
Crocombe made up for his earlier error by making several crucial saves late in the match.
Australian Associated Press
