Central Coast Mariners on track for unprecedented treble after winning AFC Cup

1 week ago 5

The Central Coast Mariners person ended Australia’s achy 10-year drought successful Asian nine competitions aft beating Lebanese outfit Al Ahed 1-0 to triumph the AFC Cup and stay connected way for a historical and unprecedented treble.

Days aft sealing the A-League premiership, the Mariners bagged their 2nd trophy of the play – and a useful $2.3 cardinal successful prize wealth – aft a tense contention astatine the Sultan Qaboos Sport Complex successful Muscat, Oman connected Monday greeting (AEST) that was decided by an 84th-minute onslaught by Alou Kuol.

Central Coast Mariners en way to triumph implicit Al Ahed successful the AFC Cup final.

Played successful by Brazilian import Ronald Barcellos, substitute Kuol squeezed his changeable done the legs of Al Ahed goalkeeper Mostafa Matar to yet drawback the stubborn absorption posed by the nine-time Lebanese champions and erstwhile AFC Cup winners.

The Mariners had to upwind a precocious tempest from Al Ahed to successfully spot retired their triumph and clinch the archetypal portion of silverware for an Australian squad successful Asia since the Western Sydney Wanderers’ miraculous AFC Champions League rubric successful 2014.

While the AFC Cup is the continent’s second-tier nine contention – and frankincense not arsenic prestigious arsenic the Champions League – it is inactive a singular accomplishment fixed the Mariners’ meagre resources, the departure of 5 cardinal players and manager Nick Montgomery from past season’s team, their mediocre commencement to this play nether his replacement Mark Jackson, and the immense question demands placed upon them to get arsenic acold arsenic they did.

Mariners were crowned A-League Men premiers aft their crippled against Adelaide United connected May 1.

Players and unit person flown much than 100,000 kilometres to play games successful Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, India, Kyrgyzstan and, finally, Oman – each successful system people – a feat that has added a immense carnal and intelligence load connected apical of their A-League rubric defence. They volition present hop onto yet different formation location and volition person to backmost up connected Friday nighttime for the archetypal limb of their A-League semi-final against Sydney FC astatine Allianz Stadium arsenic they crook their attraction to their past disposable honour this season.

No squad has ever won the A-League premiership and title and an Asian trophy successful the aforesaid season; indeed, the Mariners were conscionable the 3rd Aussie squad to adjacent marque an AFC final, aft the Wanderers and Adelaide United successful 2008.

If the Gosford-based broadside tin circular disconnected their run with a triumph successful the expansive final, they volition participate the speech arsenic 1 of Australia’s all-time large nine teams, if they’re not already successful it.

The lucifer itself was emblematic Asian fare – the Mariners dominated possession but struggled to make clear-cut chances against a squad that was blessed to beryllium backmost successful numbers, frustrate their opponents and drain the timepiece done feigned injuries and different antics. Eventually, their unit told successful the 2nd half, with Kuol providing the breakthrough aft galore different opportunities were either blocked, saved oregon fired wide of the mark.

This was the past variation of the AFC Cup, which is being replaced adjacent play by the caller AFC Champions League 2 arsenic portion of a revamp of Asia’s nine competitions; the Mariners, by finishing archetypal connected the A-League ladder, person already qualified for the rebadged AFC Champions League Elite.

Only a fewer 100 radical appeared to beryllium successful the stands; this year’s last was owed to beryllium hosted by the qualifying squad from the AFC’s occidental zone, but arsenic with their nationalist team, Al Ahed were incapable to signifier the crippled successful Lebanon, truthful a neutral venue had to beryllium found.