Mazzeo header earns Melbourne City late draw against Buriram in Asian Champions League

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mazzeo-benjamin/GhIAxJt4/"]Mazzeo[/a] ‌rose at the far post to meet [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/younis-marcus/xA3Fq7we/"]Marcus Younis[/a]' ‌inviting cross from the right, the 20-year-old outjumping the defence ‌to power a downward header beyond [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/buriram-united-f-c/r3QHlQs7/"]Buriram[/a] goalkeeper [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/etheridge-neil/MJDjwLMN/"]Neil Etheridge[/a] ‌to keep [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/melbourne-city/OKfoGJBe/"]City[/a]'s hopes of a place in April's quarter-finals alive.[/p][p][b]"It's certainly important that we scored because if we went there 1-0 down, there ‌would probably be a little bit of ⁠a lack of belief," said ‌City coach [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vidmar-aurelio/ObKrWMU2/"]Aurelio Vidmar[/a]. "But I thought we thoroughly deserved what we ​got tonight."[/b][/p][p]Buriram, who are looking to reach the last eight for the second season in a row, took ​the lead through [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bissoli/Wnlgffqq/"]Guilherme Bissoli[/a], who rifled a stunning first-time strike into the top corner from a tight angle in ⁠the 37th minute.[/p][p]The Brazilian ​was awarded a late penalty by referee Khaled Al-Turais, only for the decision to be overturned by VAR officials and, and moments later, Mazzeo headed in [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/buriram-r3QHlQs7/melbourne-city-OKfoGJBe/?mid=CUiUL2o4"]the equaliser[/a].[/p][embed guid="20e4bb62-9e9c-47f8-bcae-3ca1b294a3e4" url="https://x.com/MelbourneCity/status/2028773036154052634" social-type="twitter" /][p]Japan's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/machida-zelvia/CUSC1dab/"]Machida Zelvia[/a] held on ‌for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/gangwon-A144gewT/machida-CUSC1dab/?mid=CA1z0LOp"]a 0-0 draw[/a] with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/gangwon/A144gewT/"]Gangwon FC[/a] in South Korea after goalkeeper [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tani-kosei/EBqHJ83f/"]Kosei Tani[/a] denied the hosts late in the game.[/p][p]The Japan international threw himself at full stretch to his left to push substitute [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/halaihal-abdalla/UwNuwOU0/"]Abdalla Halaihal[/a]'s goal-bound strike onto the post in the 88th minute and the teams will meet again in Machida next Tuesday.[/p][p]Japan's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/vissel-kobe/698tGI9q/"]Vissel Kobe[/a] will take on [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/seoul/8tzeYeHp/"]FC Seoul[/a] from South Korea on Wednesday, with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/johor-dt/AVV6BGlb/"]Johor Darul ‌Ta'zim[/a] from Malaysia playing J-League outfit [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/sanfrecce-hiroshima/fX7MRdvd/"]Sanfrecce Hiroshima[/a].[/p][p]The winners of ​the last-16 ties from both west and east Asia ‌will advance to the next phase, in which the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will be played on a centralised basis in Jeddah in April.[/p][p]The Asian Football Confederation announced on Sunday that matches in the western side of the ⁠draw have been postponed until ⁠further notice due to ‌the crisis in the Middle East.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/soccer/asia/afc-champions-league/"]Follow the Asian Champions League with Flashscore.[/a][/p]