Mark Jackson said Central Coast Mariners showed they can compete against a “top, top team” after a heart-breaking 3-2 defeat to defending J1 League champions Vissel Kobe in the AFC Champions League Elite.
The Mariners staged a brave fightback away to 2024 J1 League leaders Vissel Kobe – who are closing in on consecutive titles – on matchday five, overturning a two-goal deficit with two goals in 20 minutes away to the Japanese giants on Tuesday.
But the two-time reigning Isuzu UTE A-League champions were left heartbroken after young goalkeeper Dylan Peraic-Cullen failed to deal with a long-range strike in the 81st minute.
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“Really disappointed we couldn’t hold out for at least a point,” Jackson told reporters afterwards.
“We had a game plan. We knew we were up against a really strong opponent who were in good form with very good players. We knew we had to be disciplined in our approach.
“I’m very proud of my team that they carried out the majority of what we planned, certainly our defensive structure. We knew Vissel would be dangerous from set-plays and it was very disappointing to concede the set-play.
“But we showed courage and fight to get back into the game. It’s disappointing at the end to concede the third goal and lose the game.”
With one point from four matches heading into their trip to Kobe, the Mariners were eyeing their first win of the ACL Elite campaign, against a juggernaut of Japanese football.
Jackson’s side found themselves down 2-0 through 49 minutes following Ryuho Kikuchi’s 40th-minute opener and Storm Roux’s own goal four minutes into the second half.
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Then, Central Coast rallied as Hotaru Yamaguchi’s 54th-minute own goal gave the visitors a glimmer of hope before Bailey Brandtman sensationally equalised with 16 minutes of regulation remaining.
It was the 19-year-old’s second goal in two ACL Elite matches, having helped the Mariners salvage a 2-2 draw at home to Chinese giants Shanghai Shenhua.
But Daiju Sasaki’s attempt found the back of the net seven minutes later as Vissel Kobe emerged triumphant and stayed top of the standings.
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“We spoke about a lot of things we did in the first half. A couple of tweaks we had to make in our defensive positioning with our structure,” Jackson added.
“I just challenged the players to be better in the final third on the transition. We knew we had a few chances in the first half with a good defensive structure and then counter-attacking quickly but we just needed to be better in the final third and with the final action.
“Again, I’m very proud of the players and the team. The young boys in there are hurting at the minute but we’ve shown we can compete with a top, top team, the top team in Japan.
“For our young players to play on such a stage. You have fantastic fans who support the team very well. I’m just proud of the team and their performance in the first half and second half.”
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