Mariners make history to clinch AFC Cup after dramatic win over Al Ahed

The Mariners fairy tale has grown by another epic chapter, adding an Arabian night that Australian football will never forget.

A single goal from Alou Kuol was enough for the Central Coast to win the AFC Cup by defeating Al Ahed in Oman, becoming just the second Australian side to lift continental silverware and the first in almost a decade.

Coming five days after they lifted the A-League Premiers’ Plate, the victory secured the second part of a seemingly impossible treble. Only the A-League Championship remains, and few would bet against Mark Jackson’s side after this remarkable triumph.

At the end of an Asian voyage traversing six countries since this campaign began in September, the A-League’s smallest club will be the beneficiary of $2.3m in prize money and memories to last a lifetime. No wonder Jackson admitted to being “gobsmacked” afterwards.

In front of a clutch of travelling Mariners fans that fittingly included inaugural head coach Lawrie McKinna, Central Coast ultimately made light of what was their 40th  game of the season and a 17-hour flight to Oman. They even won the Fair Play Award too, just proving that sometimes nice guys do come first.

“I don’t think it’s sunk in yet,” admitted captain Danny Vukovic moments after lifting the AFC Cup. “Just the magnitude of it, with all the travel and everything.

“We knew they would put a lot of men behind the ball and it was about being patient with the ball – and we were. We scored a great goal through Alou Kuol.

“Tonight I had to make a couple of saves but that’s just doing my job. It’s been a full team effort throughout this tournament and I think we’re deserved winners.

“It means so much – this club has done so much for me and my family, it’s been through some dark times but to see this now and be part of it is just fantastic.”

In fact Vukovic was being a little self-effacing – initially, with the nerves of the occasion apparent, Al-Ahed had come closest to going ahead in a harum-scarum first half where the energy of both sides belied a sultry Omani evening.

Without the giant left paw of their captain the Mariners would have been behind as Vukovic spread himself to repel a header from Scottish striker Lee Erwin, a save almost on the goal line and augmented by Jacob Farrell’s block to deny Hussein Zein’s follow up.

But the Central Coast could point to an excellent chance of their own soon after, prompted by Farrell’s intelligent pass down the inside left for Josh Nisbet to cutback low across the penalty area. As Mariners striker Ryan Edmondson arrived to meet it his timing was horribly awry and his sidefoot found only air.

But the move itself seemed to have benefits for Mark Jackson’s side and they settled increasingly into the contest – perturbed only by Brian Kaltak’s wayward defensive header that his teammates rescued.

Particularly with the introduction of Ronald Barcellos’s direct running at halftime, the Australian side began to dominate and probe their opponents’ defensive structure.

“We just had to be a bit better with the ball – we had a certain shape we wanted to play,” said Jackson. “We just needed those moments of quality and we got a bit better in the second half.”

Part of that came from his changes as Jackson added Kuol on for Edmondson and Storm Roux replacing Miguel Di Pizio. The latter’s storming run down the right prompted a low cross from which Nisbet and Barcellos both had shots blocked, before Hasan Spour sparked a brief concern with a shot that flashed just wide for Al Ahed.

Suddenly, with just seven minutes to go, the Mariners found the breakthrough. Barcellos, at the heart of so much that was good in the second half, kissed a deft pass into the box for Kuol to shoot right-footed at goal. If the ball squeezed through Mostafa Matar’s legs in a way the goalkeeper will never enjoy reliving, Kuol cared nothing for that and celebrated in style.

Aghast, Al-Ahead threw everything forward and the Mariners put every body on the line in response – Kaltek repelled a thudding drive from Erwin with his torso and barely flinched. Eight agonising minutes of injury time unfolded before the victory was confirmed.

“We’ll be ready for Sydney (FC in the A-League semifinal on Friday) and we’ll embrace the challenge,” said Jackson. “We want to create a high-performing team and I think we’re well on our way to doing that.

“We know that we have to rebuild from time to time because we know that players will leave us but for now, let’s enjoy the moment. Let’s enjoy the night we won a Double.”