A 93rd-minute goal from Magamed Uzdenov prevented Central Coast Mariners from leaving Kyrgyzstan with a valuable lead, as they drew 1-1 with Abdysh-Ata Kant in the first leg of their AFC Cup Inter Zonal Final.
Outplayed for large swathes of the contest in Kyrgyzstan, Isuzu UTE A-League leaders the Mariners found it hard to contain the home side who managed the conditions, in particular the bobbly pitch, much better than the visitors on Wednesday.
However just as Abdysh-Ata Kant were applying more pressure the Mariners took the lead through defender Brian Kaltak, who headed home from a free-kick with nine minutes of regulation remaining.
Goalkeeper Danny Vukovic then made a spectacular save to keep the scores level soon after, flying to his right to tip a goal-bound effort over the bar.
However, the hosts eventually got the goal they most certainly deserved and it came from the boot of Uzdenov, who found the far corner with a precise volley from the edge of the box.
The two sides will now reconvene in Gosford on April 24 for the second leg of the contest, with the aggregate winner progressing through to the AFC Cup final in early May.
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The Mariners may have enjoyed more of the ball in the early stages but once the home side settled, they slowly began to dictate the flow of the game.
After navigating their way through a prolonged period of first half pressure the Mariners finally forged their first real chance in the 37th minute, and it was one striker Ryan Edmondson will feel he should have done better with.
A long ball forward towards the Englishman found it’s target and after winning the initial header, Edmondson then sent a tame, side-footed effort straight at the keeper when presented one on one.
Continuing to attack makeshift left back Harry Steele, a cross from the Abdysh-Ata Kant right was headed straight at Vukovic by striker Ernist Batyrkanov on the approach to half time.
The home side picked up where the left off after half time and completely dominated the ball, leaving Central Coast Mariners with little option but to go long in search of the ever isolated Edmondson, who was eventually substituted in the 63rd minute.
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Substitute Atay Dzhumashev then sent a shot towards goal in the 67th minute which was well saved by Vukovic but the Mariners were struggling to gain a foothold in the game as the home side continued to go on the attack.
The introductions of Miguel Di Pizio and Jing Reec off the bench gave the Mariners a different dimension in attack but it was the home side who came closest to breaking the deadlock, and it came from a set-piece.
In the 77th minute, an out-swinging corner was whipped into the box and was met by the head of Abdysh-Ata defender Khristiyan Brauzman, however Storm Roux was well positioned in front of the line to block the ball before clearing to safety.
The deadlock was eventually broken though in the 81st minute and against the run of play it was Mark Jackson’s Central Coast who snatched the lead.
After Di Pizio was fouled out on the Mariners left, Doka sent a pinpoint delivery to the back post and onto the head of the unmarked Kaltak, who duly sent his header back across goal and into the far corner to make it 1-0.
The home side thought they were level soon after as midfielder Argen Zhumataev sent a brilliant, curling effort towards the top corner only to see a flying Vukovic dive to his right hand side and expertly tip the ball over the bar.
However the home side weren’t deterred by going a goal down and found the equaliser deep into stoppage time, with Uzdenov volleying the ball across Vukovic and into the far corner from the edge of the area.
The Mariners survived a late scare in the 95th minute of the contest when Kaltak went down and appeared to handle the ball as he broke his fall however the referee waved away the protests before blowing for full time in the first leg.
