The Central Coast Mariners took the win against Sydney FC at Industree Group Stadium, pulling off two remarkable back-to-back goals in the first half.
The Sky Blues were eager to score the opening goal from kick-off, managing to bypass the Mariners’ defence and make multiple attempts at the goal in just the first ten minutes.
Their offensive efforts were rewarded in the 11th minute when Paulo Retre caught the rebound off of Robert Mak’s blocked shot and tapped the ball into the back of the net.
Sydney continued to dominate the goal area for the next 25 minutes of the match, before the Mariners finally managed to turn the tide in their favour.
In the 36th minute, Marco Túlio met a masterful cross from starting debutant Garang Kuol and launched a header into the goal.
Kuol 🤝 Tulio
An inch perfect delivery from Kuol and Tulio makes no mistake to level the scores in Gosford. GAME ON ⚔️#CCMvSYD pic.twitter.com/E2eubWwOtq
— Paramount+ Australia (@ParamountPlusAU) December 17, 2022
The Mariners continued to play on the momentum from the equalising goal, scoring again just three minutes later.
This time, Daniel Hall connected with a cross from Brian Kaltak and scored on a header after a corner from Béni Nkololo.
The Sky Blues tried to find an equaliser in the last few minutes of the half, but were unsuccessful, leaving the Mariners in the lead.
For most of the second half, both sides fought for possession of the ball. Both teams managed to create multiple scoring opportunities but struggled to convert goals.
Just as Sydney were beginning to pick up momentum, the Mariners injected new energy into the game in the form of a triple substitution. Harrison Steele, Sasha Kuzevski and Nectarios Triantis replaced Max Balard, Marco Túlio and Jason Cummings.
The fresh set of legs weren’t enough to secure another goal for the Mariners before the 90-minute mark.
In the additional eight minutes of the match, a scuffle broke out among the players following a string of fouls. The time-consuming conflict resulted in Samuel Silvera, James Donachie and Harrison Steele copping yellow cards.
The Sky Blues attempted to tie up the scoreboard in the last minute of the game with Adrian Segecic firing a shot, but it went wide.
With this last attempt failing for Sydney, the Mariners took the victory.
The Central Coast Mariners will go on to play the Newcastle Jets in Gosford next week, while Sydney FC will return home to play against Macarthur.
Central Coast Mariners 2 (Marco TÚLIO 36’, Daniel HALL 39’)
Sydney FC 1 (Paulo RETRE 11’)
Industree Group Stadium
Referee: Jack Morgan
Assistant Referees: Kearney Robinson & Matthew McOrist
Fourth Official: Hassan Jomaa
Central Coast Mariners: Daniel VUKOVIC (GK) (C), Brian KALTAK, Joshua NISBET, Maximilien BALARD (Harrison STEELE 82’), Jason CUMMINGS (Nectarios TRIANTIS 83’), Béni NKOLOLO (Samuel SILVERA 60’), Garang KUOL (Michael RUHS 67’), Storm ROUX, Jacob FARRELL, Daniel HALL, Marco TÚLIO (Sasha KUZEVSKI 83’)
Unused subs: Thomas AQUILINA, Yaren SOZER (GK)
Sydney FC: Andrew REDMAYNE (GK), James DONACHIE, Paulo RETRE (Patrick YAZBEK 65’), Joseph LOLLEY, Róbert MAK (Adrian SEGECIC 67’), Anthony CACERES (Patrick WOOD 82’), Diego CABALLO, Max BURGESS (Adam LE FONDRE 46’), Rhyan GRANT, Luke BRATTAN (C), Aaron GURD
Unused subs: Adrian VLASTELICA, Jake GIRDWOOD-REICH, Thomas HEWARD-BELLE (GK)
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