The Central Coast Mariners have won the 23/24 AFC Cup, defeating Lebanon’s Al Ahed FC 1-0 in the finals at the Sultan Qaboos Sports City. They have become only the second ever Australian club to win an AFC competition, following the Western Sydney Wanderers who won the AFC Champions League a decade ago.
The Mariners have won the continental Cup in their debut season, which is also the last time that the AFC Cup will be contested. From next season, the AFC competitions will transform into a three-tier system consisting of the AFC Champions League Elite, AFC Champions League 2 and the AFC Challenge Cup.
Central Coast Mariners win last edition of the AFC Cup
Good Morning, Mariners Family! 👋
— Central Coast Mariners (@CCMariners) May 5, 2024
This is the goal that won us the AFC Cup, scored by the one and only Alou Kuol! 🏆#CCMFC #TakeUsToTheTop pic.twitter.com/4Na7hw1Wya
The match was typical of a continental Cup final, with both sides careful to not make any glaring errors. Al Ahed had the first chance to score, but were denied. The Mariners eventually grew into the game, but Al Ahed continued to pose a threat till the very end.
The deadlock would only be broken by Alou Kuol in the 84th minute, but the job was not done yet. The Australian side had to defend resolutely with eight minutes added on, and managed to hold on to see their narrow lead through.
