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

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.

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“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.”

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