MELBOURNE Victory lived out its own Asian Champions League version of Groundhog Day at Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night.
This time it didn't lose after enjoying a half time lead, but ending the night with just a point would have been a disappointment for coach Kevin Muscat after his charges battled admirably in holding out Korean giants Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors for much of the game.
Victory led 1-0 courtesy of a Nick Ansell headed goal from a 31st minute free kick before, depending on how you look at it, four second half minutes of madness or Lee Dong Gook brilliance looked as if it had effectively killed off the club's ACL campaign inside two games.
But the match was turned on its head again in the 81st minute, not even 120 seconds after Dong Gook's stunning second goal, when Kosta Barbarouses' close-range shot earned the home team a share of the spoils.
Muscat gambled by leaving out his two marquee players, striker Archie Thompson and defender Pablo Contreras, for the crucial clash and also left the club's top goalscorer this season, James Troisi, on the bench.
Melbourne Victory's Nicholas Ansell scores the opener at Docklands. Source: News Corp Australia
The now-traditional 4-2-2-2 formation was also abandoned in favour of a diamond midfield set up in which captain Mark Milligan sat in front of the back four and Tom Rogic played in a roaming attacking midfield role ahead of Jimmy Jeggo and Jesse Makarounas.
After few early chances were created the match sprung to life in the 29th minute when a searing Leonardo shot slammed in to the crossbar.
But little more than a minute later Makarounas was fouled just outside the top right corner of the penalty box and Victory scored from the resultant set piece.
A tracer bullet of a free kick from Makarounas was read perfectly by Ansell and keeper Eun Sung had no chance.
Victory had all 11 players on the goal line six minutes later guarding a bizarre indirect free kick from the top of the six yard box, but Dong Gook's blasted shot deflected off Ansell and over the bar.
Jeonbuk had eight shots to Victory's two in the opening stanza, but the visitor's dominance of that statistic should not be perceived as dominance in general play.
Gritty they may have been, Victory had deserved its lead, but would be made to work harder to defend it in the second half.
Lee Dong Gook (R) of Joenbuk celebrates the first of his two goals. Source: Getty Images
Perhaps haunted by the memories of turning a 2-0 half time lead in to a 4-2 loss against Guangzhou Evergrande in China a fortnight ago, Victory was pegged back in defence as the Korean giants asserted themselves on the contest.
Melbourne Victory coach Kevin Muscat barking instructions from the touchline. Source: Getty Images
Lawrence Thomas made fantastic saves in the 51st and 71st minutes and it looked as if the Victory goalkeeper's heroics would propel his side to a much needed win before Dong Gook's spectacular intervention.
Thomas could only parry a 76th minute shot from distance by Seung Gi towards the penalty spot and Dong Gook beat four Victory defenders to the rebound to ram the ball home.
Dominant now, Jeonbuk went in search of a winner and thought it had found it in the 79th minute when Dong Gook fired home an early contender for goal of the tournament from about 30m.
But Barbarouses, who in the 11th minute duffed a clear one-on-one chance with Jeonbuk keeper Choi Eun Sung, made no mistake from close range when he was played in behind the defence by a long ball from Milligan.
4-2 loss, Barbarouses beat the offside trap to run at goal and net to share the spoils.
Re-live the thrilling draw in our blog below.
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