Besart Berisha also found the net, as his deflected shot trickled past the home side’s goalkeeper. 

Victory now have five days to travel home and prepare for another game against the Japanese champions, who themselves must prepare for a J-League game this weekend.

All eyes now turn to AAMI Park on Tuesday night, where a Victory win would keep their Champions League dreams very much alive.

Melbourne Victory Player Ratings

Lawrence Thomas – 6.5

Not a lot the Victory keeper could do about the two goals. Thomas pulled off a strong parry early on to deny a thumping volley. After that, it was mostly routine stuff for the shot-stopper, who will be hoping for a clean sheet in the following game.

Thomas Deng – 6

At times, Deng gave the Kawasaki left-sided players too much space, which they exploited; particularly in the first half. As the game went on, Deng looked more comfortable in his role but could have done more to follow his man, who scored Kawasaki’s second.

Rhys Williams – 5.5

The only Victory player whose performance deteriorated as the game went on. Williams started the game solidly and full of confidence – clearing balls with his head and winning last-ditch tackles. However, a lapse in concentration cost the visitors a second goal when Williams played a Kawasaki attacker onside.

James Donachie – 6.5

A very busy shift for the 24-year-old who had to stay focused on a cold night in Japan. Alongside Williams, the pair made a couple of mistakes but Donachie was the more reliable of the two.

Leigh Broxham – 6.5

Pressed high on the left flank – forcing the opponent into making a handful of errors. Broxham held his position well against a side who looked to play free-flowing attacking football.

Carl Valeri – 5.5

Made a couple of cynical fouls in dangerous positions, none of which ended up costing Victory any goals but certainly put the visitors under pressure. The Victory captain was booked with 20 minutes to go, ruling him out of the following tie on Tuesday.

Terry Antonis – 6.5

Was the man pulling the strings in the midfield, but his ability to pick out attackers in forward positions was limited by how deep Victory were forced to play. Instead, Antonis found himself in defensive pockets where he had to protect the back four.

Kosta Barbarouses – 5.5

Didn’t do enough to clear a loose ball in the lead up to the opening goal and paid the ultimate price. The opposing goalkeeper knew nothing about Barbarouses’ close-range shot a short while after, which bounced off the keeper’s head.

James Troisi – 5.5

Due to Victory’s lack of possession and territory throughout the 90 minutes, Troisi remained isolated and unable to make a real impact on the game. At times, the Aussie international showed intent, but linking up with Berisha effectively seemed to be a bit of a problem.

Leroy George – 7.5

Showed sparks of his usual, creative self and grabbed another assist, thanks to Berisha’s finish. In stoppage time, the Dutchman stepped up once again to claim the penalty won by Christian Theoharous. With confidence, George placed the ball on the spot and stole a point for the Melbourne boys.

Besart Berisha – 7.5

Far from the prettiest goal Berisha has scored in his career, but he’ll claim it nonetheless. The striker’s equaliser in the 36th minute gave Victory some much needed motivation going into half-time. As the clock ticked in the second half however, Berisha grew increasingly frustrated with his service.

SUBS:

Christian Theoharous – 6

With Victory almost depleted of ideas, Theoharous picked up the ball on the edge of the box and made a daring run into the penalty area. His pace and footwork were enough to fool a defender into making a mistimed challenge; winning a deciding penalty in the process.

Josh Hope – did not see enough of the ball to receive a fair rating.

Kenny Athiu – did not see enough of the ball to receive a fair rating.