As Melbourne Victory prepare to take on Wrexham AFC on July 11 at Marvel Stadium, let’s head down memory lane and reflect on five of Victory’s unforgettable international friendlies.
Melbourne Victory 1 – 4 Manchester United (2022)
The most recent of the bunch, Melbourne Victory took on English giants Manchester United at the MCG in 2022.
Coming up against the starting lineup of stars such as Bruno Fernandes, Jason Sancho, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw, Victory were keen to test themselves against some of the world’s best players.
It started as perfectly as you could imagine for the Vuck, opening the scoring after five minutes thanks to a well-worked counter-attacking goal finished off by Chris Ikonomidis.
While Tony Popovic’s men managed to keep the Red Devils scoreless for the vast majority of the first half, goals just before the break by recent Serie A MVP Scott McTominay and Anthony Martial killed Victory’s momentum.
Three Lions star Marcus Rashford scored a third for United and a fourth came via an own goal, with the 13-time Premier League winners ultimately proving too strong.
Melbourne Victory 1 (4) – 1 (3) Juventus (2016)
Fresh off becoming the first-ever Italian team to complete the domestic treble, Melbourne Victory were up and about for a big clash against Juventus at the MCG.
The Bianconeri took the lead on the night in the second half after Carlos Blanco Moreno’s audacious effort got the better of Lawrence Thomas just prior to the hour mark.
However, winger Jai Ingham sent Victory to a penalty shootout with the Italians after producing a sweet finish in the 83rd minute.
Despite Carl Valeri’s opening penalty being saved, Ingham alongside Alan Baró, Scott Galloway and 16-year-old Sebastian Pasquali converted their spot-kicks.
Meanwhile, Lawrence Thomas came up big with two saves, helping the Navy Blues win the shootout and celebrate an impressive feat over Juventus, who had previously beaten Victory in a friendly back in 2008.
Melbourne Victory 1 – 0 Atletico Madrid (2016)
Just eight days after defeating Juventus, Victory triumphed once again, this time over Champions League finalists, Atletico Madrid in Geelong.
While Atletico’s side featured internationally acclaimed stars such as Jan Oblak, Lucas & Theo Hernandez, Diogo Jota and several others, it was the Vuck who prevailed after Nick Ansell’s headed home Fahid Ben-Khalfallah’s free-kick delivery.
Goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas was again a standout for Kevin Muscat’s side, making a number of top-quality saves in a memorable clean sheet against world-class opposition.
Melbourne Victory 0 – 2 Liverpool (2013)
Hosting arguably England’s most successful football club in front of a packed crowd at the MCG, Victory’s clash against Liverpool is certainly one that would stick out to any Vuck supporter.
With over 95,000 fans belting out Liverpool’s famous anthem ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ before kick-off, the scene was set for a special game.
While it was the Reds who came away as 2-0 victors thanks to goals from club legend Steven Gerrard and Iago Aspas, Victory certainly didn’t disappoint.
Youngsters such as Jason Geria, Andrew Nabbout, Connor Pain and James Jeggo were joined by the more experienced heads of Adrian Leijer, Nathan Coe, Leigh Broxham and Billy Celeski, notably dealing with forward Luis Suarez after appearing from the bench.
Melbourne Victory 0 – 1 Celtic (2011)
Taking on Scottish giants Celtic at AAMI Park back in 2011, Victory played out an excellent game that was won late by the Hoops thanks to captain Scott Brown.
Tando Velaphi was the star of the show for Victory, pulling off a range of stunning stops to keep his side in the game until the 78th minute.
Making his debut shortly after joining the club from Wellington Phoenix, a 19-year-old Marco Rojas caught the attention of many and earned a standing ovation for his performance.
It was a great test for a youthful Victory side led by new coach Mehmet Durakovic, narrowly falling short to one of the most successful clubs in global football history.
