After Central Coast Mariners secured their spot in the Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final with a big win over Adelaide United, Nick D’Urbano delivers five things you may have missed from their Semi Final win over Adelaide United.
The Mariners are back in the big dance.
Central Coast have booked their place in the Grand Final for the first time in a decade, after defeating Adelaide United 2-0 in the Semi Final second leg at Industree Group Stadium, to wrap up a 4-1 win on aggregate.
Sammy Silvera opened the scoring just after half-time, before Marco Tulio added a second to send the record 20,059 crowd into raptures.
Nick Montgomery’s side will now take on Melbourne City in the decider at CommBank Stadium, where they will look to secure a second Championship in the club’s history.
Here are five moments you may have missed from Central Coast Mariners v Adelaide United at the conclusion of their Semi Final second leg in Gosford.
MATCH REPORT: MAGIC MARINERS! Historic night sees Central Coast reach first Grand Final in 10 years
REACTION: Monty calls out rival just minutes after full-time: ‘We’ll see him in two weeks’
ISUZU UTE A-LEAGUE GRAND FINAL – TICKET DETAILS
The tackle before THAT Tulio flick
Marco Tulio may have gotten all the plaudits for that unbelievable first-half flick, but it was a crunching tackle seconds earlier that set things up perfectly for the Central Coast forward.
Adelaide were looking to manufacture a move down the left-flank with the the ball finding its way to Ethan Alagich, but within seconds of receiving it the young Reds midfielder was dispossessed by an inch-perfect, hard-nosed slide tackle from Nectar Triantis.
READ: Fans stunned by ‘filthy’ Tulio skill: ‘That is outrageous!’
The 20-year-old defender’s tackle elicited a huge roar from the raucous Mariners faithful, which kick-started Tulio’s moment of magic.
Triantis’ tackle then ricocheted off Tulio and back into the path of Sammy Silvera who played the ball back to the Brazilian before he unbelievably looped the ball over Ben Warland.
Tulio proceeded to bring the ball down with a deft touch, before playing through Silvera, but the move was nullified by Reds defender Alexandar Popovic.
Since joining the Mariners from Western Sydney Wanderers, Triantis has enjoyed a breakout campaign, forging an incredible defensive partnership with fellow off-season arrival Brian Kaltak.
Again, he and the Vanuatu international were tremendous, keeping a clean sheet and continuing an impressive first full season of professional football.
ISUZU UTE A-LEAGUE GRAND FINAL – TICKET DETAILS
Tulio’s big night at the office capped off with standing ovation
Marco Tulio’s performance will live long in Central Coast Mariners folklore, after putting in yet another incredible shift.
The Brazilian forward was almost unplayable from the word go, beyond just that incredible flick in the first-half. Tulio was central to plenty of Central Coast’s attacks, linking up brilliantly in tandem with the likes of Jason Cummings and Sammy Silvera.
After coming close on a number of occasions, he finally got reward for his effort when he bundled home the Mariners’ second in the 52nd minute to secure their place in the Grand Final – celebrating with the Yellow Army behind the goals.
Tulio registered a remarkable seven key passes, at least four more than any other player on the pitch.
“Honestly, what a joy to watch, look at the party tricks!” Adelaide great Bruce Djite said on 10 Bold’s coverage.
“He’s just having fun… he’s taking the p***! It is like he’s just playing on the street. He is just really enjoying himself and an attacker who’s just so hard to mark.
“He’s not lightning quick, but he’s got the speed coupled with the strength. One-on-one you don’t want him running against you. He comes off the line, he comes in behind, his finishing is great.
“What a star signing this guy has been.”
Former Socceroo Luke Wilkshire added: “That’s what you want to see. If you’re going to bring foreigners into the league, you want to see players who entertain. That’s what he’s been.”
Host Tara Rushton joked that Djite had earlier said: ‘Oh my god, the Mariners… they look like Barca right now!’
When his number was eventually called in the 87th minute, Tulio received a standing ovation from the vast majority of the 20,059 fans in the terraces.
Tulio has been one of the signings of the season and has been central to the Mariners’ return to the big dance for the first time in 10 years, scoring four goals in four games in the lead-in to the finals and 10 for the entire campaign.
And he again shapes as an integral part of any chance the Mariners have of knocking off Melbourne City in a couple weeks time.
Vukovic joins in the fun… twice
When Sammy Silvera hit the back of the net to give Central Coast Mariners some much needed breathing space in the tie, it felt as if the stadium went into absolute meltdown.
And Danny Vukovic couldn’t help but join in the fun at the other end.
The Mariners keeper beelined down the pitch to celebrate with his teammates, not once, but twice again joining in the Central Coast party after Marco Tulio fired home a second minutes later.
Vukovic was also called into action on a number of occasions, making some top saves late to keep the Reds out and secure a 90th A-League Men’s clean sheet which is equal first alongside Liam Reddy in the all-time standings.
Despite getting his hands on some silverware at Sydney FC in 2017, Vukovic now has a chance at winning a Championship with the club where he started his A-Leagues journey, after he came up short in 2008 – a game he was infamously sent off in.
Veart chooses his Ibusuki replacement from the start… but it’s not Irankunda
It was the question everyone wanted an answer for in the lead-up to the second leg – who would lead Adelaide United’s front-line in wake of Hiroshi Ibusuki’s injury.
The likes of George Blackwood, Luka Jovanovic and Nestory Irankunda – who was the popular option among pundits – were all floated as potential replacements but coach Carl Veart opted for a rather intriguing attacking set-up.
In fact, not many, if any at all, would have seen this tactical shift coming.
Veart brought youngster Ethan Alagich into the XI and slotted him as their No. 10, shifting Englishman Zach Clough out onto the right flank, and moving Ben Halloran centrally to lead the line – while Craig Goodwin took up his usual role on the left-wing.
The set-up was rather fluid, as Goodwin at times occupied central spaces to partner Halloran up-front, while Alagich and Clough played as essentially two attacking midfielders in behind.
Clough got busy early and came within a whisker of bringing the tie level with a side-footed volley from the edge of the area that rattled the post.
However, it was the Mariners who put the foot down with two goals early in the second-half to create an unassailable lead. The cameras soon turned to Irankunda – who was warming up on the touchline – with the 17-year-old caught shaking his head.
The teenage phenom was called upon shortly after the hour to try and kick-start a Reds fightback which put into action…
Irankunda vs Farrell: III
When Irankunda was summoned from the bench at the hour-mark, a roar went around Industree Group Stadium.
And no, it wasn’t the sell-out crowd getting up on their feet for the Adelaide youngster, it was the for the introduction of Mariners full-back Jacob Farrell.
The 20-year-old was once again called upon to curtail Irankunda and recommence their burgeoning on-field rivalry, as the duo went toe-to-toe for the third time in less than a month.
Irankunda almost finally got one over his opposite number, when he found some space on the edge of the area and fired a wicked effort against the woodwork. Incredibly, minutes later, Farrell was creating his own havoc in attack, teeing up Jason Cummings who flashed over the bar.
Interestingly enough, Irankunda was shifted centrally and not playing out on the right-hand side, which meant Farrell’s direct matchup wasn’t the teenage phenom but in fact Halloran – who moved out onto the flank.
Overall, the teenager was able to show glimpses of his enormous potential but it came a little too late in the contest as the Reds were chasing a three-goal deficit.
It was the final performance in what has been a tremendous second season in the competition for Irankunda, who looks likely to secure an overseas move as German giants Bayern Munich continue to circle.
However, it’s more than likely that we haven’t seen the last of Irankunda in the A-League Men’s, as he’s set to remain at Adelaide next season due to FIFA regulations which prevent him from moving before his 18th birthday.
