Central Coast Mariners came from behind to defeat Perth Glory 4-2 in an entertaining New Year’s Eve affair at Industree Group Stadium on Sunday night.
Glory took an early lead through Adam Taggart but trailed 3-1 by the break, with Jacob Farrell, Alou Kuol and Marco Túlio all finding the back of the net before half-time.
Túlio’s first of the night came via the penalty spot and he repeated the feat in second-half stoppage time in a special send-off in front of his home fans ahead of his imminent departure to Japanese club Kyoto Sanga.
Glory co-captain Mark Beevers was sent off for collecting two yellows in the second half, with his second caution coming after his handball that led to the late Mariners penalty. Fellow Perth centre-back Aleksandar Šušnjar also received his marching orders in the aftermath of Túlio’s second goal from the spot.
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Glory went into the break trailing 3-1 and the two-goal deficit would have been tough to stomach after a bright start. Adam Taggart put the visitors ahead in the 18th minute, finishing off a perfectly-weighted cross from John Koutroumbis after a sleek team move sparked by Luke Ivanovic in his defensive half.
But then came the Mariners’ tirade. Jacob Farrell made it 1-1 just before the half-hour mark, finishing calmly into the bottom-right corner after Josh Nisbet’s through ball set him free into the box.
Kuol gave the hosts the lead 11 minutes later after a move sparked by a hefty collision between Storm Roux and Salim Khelifi in midfield. The contact sent both players spinning to the ground, and the loose ball fell to Túlio to launch an attack.
Túlio fed Kuol into the box who saw his initial shot saved by Cameron Cook, but as both Cook and Glory defender Jacob Muir scrambled back, Kuol slid in to force the ball over the line. A VAR check occurred in the aftermath to ensure no foul was committed by Roux on Khelifi in the build-up, but play was allowed to resume with Central Coast’s 2-1 lead intact.
The Mariners were on the charge, and deep into stoppage time a Farrell interception sent the hosts charging forward. Outnumbering the Glory defence, Kuol prodded the ball to Nisbet, who found Túlio in the box. Túlio cut onto his left foot and his shot struck the hand of Mark Beevers, leading to a penalty which the Brazilian swept home with ease.
Túlio raced off to celebrate in front of the home fans, and it was a special moment for the Mariners faithful in the stands as the brilliant Brazilian expressed his gratitude to the club he’s confirmed to depart in January to Japanese club Kyoto Sanga.
Sunday’s clash with Perth was Túlio’s last home appearance for the Mariners, with an away trip to take on Western Sydney on January 6 set to be his final game in the A-Leagues.
READ MORE: Marco Túlio to depart Central Coast Mariners for ‘life-changing opportunity’
“Marco Túlio shows the badge,” said Paramount+ commentator Robbie Thomson as he wheeled away in celebration.
“The Central Coast Mariners, the side he helped clinch a second-ever Isuzu UTE A-League Championship, the club that relaunched his career, that’s given him so much. He’s giving a little bit back.”
Glory started the better of the two sides in the first half and repeated the feat in the second stanza as Colakovsi gathered the ball from Taggart and took two neat touches to beat both of Central Coast’s centre-backs before lifting a left-footed strike past Danny Vukovic into the back of the net.
With the Mariners’ lead reduced to one, both sides upped the ante as the pressure rose at Industree Group Stadium. Kuol’s attempt from distance was comfortably saved by Cook, then Koutroumbis bombed forward to strike from a tight angle and call Vukovic into a smart stop with an outstretched left leg.
A lofted ball from Bian Kaltak sent Kuol in on goal but under pressure from Koutroumbis the Mariners striker couldn’t latch onto the pass as Cook swept up behind the defensive line.
But as the match clock ticked toward stoppage time, Beevers was once again the culprit of a handball in the penalty area that sent the hosts to the spot for the second time on the night.
A Max Balard strike from the edge of the area struck the outstretched arm of the Glory co-captain, and the offence earned him a second yellow card. Túlio duly converted from the spot – and before play resumed, Šušnjar was also sent to the stands as Glory were reduced to nine men at Industree Group Stadium.
The moment
Marco Túlio is going to be sorely missed on the Central Coast – but before his imminent departure to Japanese club Kyoto Sanga, the Brazilian gave the home fans one last special performance to remember as he bid farewell to the Mariners faithful on Sunday night.
Túlio will play one last game for the Mariners on the road against Western Sydney next weekend.
He took full advantage of his two moments of celebration on either side of half-time, with late penalties converted in both halves leading to special scenes shared between the player and his fans who have relished his truly brilliant one-and-a-half season at the club.
Tulio has made 39 Isuzu UTE A-League appearances for the Mariners, contributing to last season’s Championship and scoring 14 goals, with one last opportunity to add to his scoring tally against the Wanderers in Round 11.
As he tucked away his second goal on the night, Túlio took the shirt off his back, placed it on the corner flag and, with the aide of his teammates, held it aloft as hearty applause rang out around the ground.
Paramount+ commentator Robbie Thomson summed the moment up perfectly.
“The love story of 2023: Marco Túlio and the Central Coast. And they come from everywhere to celebrate with him!”
Post-game, ex-Mariners striker Roy O’Donovan described Túlio as a player “reborn on the Central Coast,” while former Socceroo Luke Wilkshire commended the outgoing star for his contribution over his spell in Gosford.
“Túlio from the off, you see the confidence he has, the class that he has,” Wilkshire told Paramount+. “He’s an entertainer and you can see how much he’s enjoyed his football in the Central Coast, he rightly so earned his big money move.
“There’s no hiding from the fact the Mariners are a club that brings in players that need an opportunity, develop them, try and on-sell them,” Wilkshire added.
“That’s the motto, and it’s working well for them because they’re still picking up results, still winning along the way, and it attracts like-minded players to the club in the future.”
The talking point
A New Year’s Eve game in Gosford always delivers its fair share of drama – and there was plenty to talk about at full-time after an explosive end to the game which saw two Glory players sent off on either side of Túlio’s match-sealing penalty at the death.
Post-game, Luke Wilkshire reviewed the dramatic conclusion to the action at Industree Group Stadium in which Beevers earned a second yellow for a near-identical penalty offence to the one he committed in the first half, yet received no caution at the time of the first incident.
“I think everyone who has been around the game for a long time was left scratching their head,” Wilkshire told Paramount+.
“You can see the frustration of the players on the pitch, off the pitch, the decision to send off Beevers – I don’t get it. He didn’t get booked for the first handball in the first half, it wasn’t intentional, the penalty is enough.”
The star
Jacob Farrell continues to come of age at the Mariners, and the 21-year-old kept his stellar individual season rolling with a goal and an imperious all-round display bombing up and down the left flank.
The left-back is a Mariners academy product – and post-game, spoke to Paramount+ with his family in tow about the joy playing for his hometown club is bringing him through the early phases of a burgeoning career.
