Central Coast Mariners beat Al-Ahed in AFC Cup final

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Central Coast Mariners have become just the second A-League men’s outfit to win an Asian club competition after beating Lebanese team Al-Ahed 1-0 in the AFC Cup final.

An 84th-minute goal from substitute Alou Kuol at the Sultan Qaboos Sport Complex in Muscat, Oman on Monday morning (AEST) secured the Mariners the victory, as well as $2.3 million in prizemoney.

The Mariners also remain on track to win the treble after clinching the A-League premiership last Wednesday.

They will now return home to contest the A-League finals series in the hope of securing a third trophy this season by winning a second successive championship.

“I always knew that we could come here and get the win,” Mariners coach Mark Jackson said after his team ended a 10-year wait for a second A-League club to win an Asian crown after Western Sydney Wanderers’ AFC Champions League success in 2014.

“It was a really difficult game against a great opponent but we’ve got full belief in the boys.

“It’s a fantastic achievement for the lads, the staff, everybody at the club and the supporters as well.”

The Mariners will also go down in history as the final club to win the competition, which will be scrapped next season to make way for the three-tier Asian Football Confederation men’s club competitions – the AFC Champions League Elite, AFC Champions League 2 and AFC Challenge League.

Central Coast will contest the 2024 Champions League Elite competition courtesy of their A-League premiership win.

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