Central Coast Mariners are through to the Inter-Zonal Final of the AFC Cup after a 0-0 second-leg draw with Odisha FC on Thursday night confirmed their 4-0 aggregate triumph over the Indian Super League club.
The Mariners were in the box seat to progress after last week’s 4-0 win over Odisha in Gosford and Thursday’s goalless draw at Kalinga Stadium confirmed their route to the penultimate phase of the tournament.
Mark Jackson’s side will now face Kyrgyzstan club FC Abdysh-Ata Kant in the Inter-Zonal Final – also over two legs – with the winner booking a spot in the AFC Cup Final on May 5.
Former A-Leagues star and 2018-19 Johnny Warren Medalist Roy Krishna had a quiet first leg on Gosford but threatened to make the tie interesting early on Thursday night when he went down in the box under contact – but the referee waved away the claims to deny Odisha an early chance to cut into their four-goal deficit.
A foul by Carlos Delgado in Odisha’s defensive box led to a penalty awarded to the Mariners in the 27th minute but in-form Mikael Doka couldn’t capitalise from the spot; he sent Amrinder diving the wrong way but struck the woodwork with his attempt angled toward the bottom-right corner.
Ryan Edmondson had the ball in the back of the net in the minutes following Doka’s penalty miss but the offside flag was raised to deny the Englishman the opener, and the tensely-contested first half ultimately drew to a close without a goal to either side.
A coming together between Mariners coach Mark Jackson and Odisha coach Sergio Lobera led to an all-in scuffle which raised the temperature at Kalinga Stadium.
The second half began much like the first with both teams showing commitment to their respective causes and a hefty challenge from Brian Kaltak on Krishna might have earned the Mariners defender a yellow card if not for the referee’s leniency.
Christian Theoharous put a rare shot on target from a tight angle in the 74th minute but Amrinder made the save at his near post as the corners began to mount for the Mariners in the second half.
Thursday’s clash lacked cutting edge and after 93 minutes of play at Kalinga Stadium, the final whistle blew to confirm the Mariners’ 0-0 (4-0) aggregate triumph over Odisha and progression to the next phase of the tournament.
The road from here – how do the Mariners achieve AFC Cup glory?
After easing past Odisha in the Inter-Zonal Semi-Finals, the Mariners are set to face Kyrgyzstan club FC Abdysh-Ata Kant in the Inter-Zonal Final – which will also take place across two legs.
The Kyrgyz Premier League beat Taichung Futuro 8-1 on aggregate over two legs in the other two-legged Semi-Final to confirm their path to the Inter-Zonal Final.
The Mariners will travel for the opening leg of the tie, taking on Abdysh-Ata Kant away from home on Wednesday, April 17, before hosting the return leg on Wednesday, April 24.
Victory over Abdysh-Ata Kant would lead the Mariners, at long last, to the AFC Cup Final.
The tournament’s showpiece event will feature the winner of the Inter-Zonal Final, and the winner of the Western Zonal Semi-Final.
The Western Zonal Semi-Final sees Omani club Al-Nahda take on Al Ahed from Lebanon across two legs in April.
The AFC Cup Final is set to take place on May 5. The winner will take home USD $1.5 million (AUD $2.3million), with the runners-up collecting USD $750,000 (AUD $1.14m).
AFC Cup fixture dates: the run home
- Wednesday, April 17: Abdysh-Ata Kant v Central Coast Mariners
- Wednesday, April 24: Central Coast Mariners v Abdysh-Ata Kant
- Sunday, May 5: AFC Cup Final
