Central Coast Mariners were brave in defeat as Mark Jackson’s side fell 3-2 to Kevin Muscat’s Shanghai Port in the AFC Asian Champions League Elite on Tuesday night.
The Mariners arrived at Pudong Football Stadium in search of their first points in the 2024-25 edition of Asia’s premier continental club competition but first-half goals to Shanghai’s Li Ang and Wu Lei meant the visitors had a monumental second-half challenge to overcome in China.
A long-range stunner from Mariners fullback Mikael Doka in the 61st minute gave the visitors hope of a result in Shanghai before Muscat’s side restored their two-goal advantage through MatÃas Vargas late in the contest.
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Shanghai looked set to cruise to a two-goal victory as stoppage time ebbed away but a goal against the run of play from Mariners substitute Nicholas Duarte led to a dramatic end to the game at Pudong Football Stadium. Duarte’s stoppage-time strike was the very first goal of the 20-year-old’s senior career.
The Mariners have now lost three games from three in ACL Elite action – but Jackson’s men can hold their heads high after a gallant display in Shanghai in which they showed plenty of fight and carved out a series of opportunities that, on another night, could’ve resulted in the Isuzu UTE A-League Champions taking a point or more from the game.
Shanghai were led into battle by head coach and ex-Melbourne Victory boss Muscat, with former Brisbane Roar head coach Ross Aloisi and Western United assistant Vincenzo Ierardo both serving as assistants in his coaching staff.
Former Chelsea star Oscar was brilliant for Shanghai with a pair of assists but despite the Brazilian’s impact, the Mariners refused to say die.
Shanghai’s desperate defensive work deep into second-half stoppage time to deny the Mariners an equaliser from two late corners was testament to Central Coast’s resilience despite being down by two goals on two occasions in the game.
Central Coast will return home from China to prepare for their Round 2 clash with Adelaide United in the Isuzu UTE A-League on Saturday, October 26. Their ACL Elite campaign will continue on Tuesday, November 5 with a home clash against Shanghai Shenhua.
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The hosts took just two minutes to break the deadlock and the opening goal came from a corner delivered into a dangerous area by former Brazil and Chelsea star Oscar.
Wu Lei flicked Oscar’s delivery on toward Li Ang who headed past Dylan Peraić-Cullen to give Shanghai a 1-0 lead in the second minute.
Central Coast showed signs of nerves early doors as Shanghai penned them into their defensive third and forced several interceptions high up the field but the visitors gained a foothold in the contest and began to push for an equalising goal.
Teenage Mariners keeper Dylan Peraić-Cullen made a superb diving save to stop Wu Lei doubling Shangai’s lead on the half-hour mark and the goal-saving intervention inspired a period of Mariners dominance.
Alou Kuol shot wide of the mark from the edge of the area, then turned provider for Mikael Doka with a backheel in the box that set the Brazilian up for Central Coast’s best chance of the first half.
Doka’s shot was comfortably saved by Yan Junling as Central Coast’s best period of attacking pressure went unrewarded.
Shanghai made the A-Leagues outfit pay soon after when Wu Lei doubled the advantage with a close-range finish off Oscar’s supply as the hosts went into half-time leading 2-0.
Fifteen minutes elapsed in the second half before Doka struck the Mariners back into the contest with a sensational curling effort from long range, described as a “wonder strike” and “a moment of magic” on the commentary.
The Brazilian missed the Mariners’ best chance of the first half but made no such mistake in the 61st minute of play, crashing the ball off the post and in to cut the deficit in half.
The Mariners were on the front foot after Doka’s wonder strike, and came within centimetres of an equaliser when Kuol got ahead of his marker in the box to divert Doka’s cross toward the bottom-right corner, only to be denied by a desperate fingertip save from Yan Junling.
There was a frantic finish to proceedings in Shanghai after MatÃas Vargas made it 3-1 to the hosts before Central Coast substitute Nicholas Duarte brought it back to 3-2 in the dying stages.
The Mariners had two late corners as they pushed for an equaliser but it wasn’t to be as the final whistle confirmed all three points to Kevin Muscat’s side.
