London (AFP)
The Central Coast Mariners recorded Australia’s name in the golden records of the AFC Cup competition in its last nineteenth edition, after defeating the Lebanese Al-Ahed 1-0 in the final match, which was hosted by a Sultan Qaboos Sports fan in the Omani capital, Muscat.
Substitute Alou Kuol scored the only goal of the match in the 84th minute.
Al-Ahed was delighted with its second continental title, after having won its first for itself and for Lebanese football abroad in 2019, when it defeated North Korea’s April 25 with a goal from Ghanaian midfielder Issa Yakubu.
The AFC club competitions are witnessing a new era, with the introduction of a three-tier system, including the elite AFC Champions League, the AFC Champions League and the AFC Challenge League, starting from the 2024-2025 season.
This is the third title for the East clubs after Uzbekistan’s Nasaf (2011) and Malaysia’s Johor Darul Ta’zim (2015), while the West’s clubs won the title 16 times, with Al-Kuwait Al-Kuwait being crowned three times (2009, 2012, 2013), equally with the Iraqi Air Force (2016, 2017, 2018), Al-Faisaly of Jordan twice (2005, 2006), Muharraq of Bahrain (2008 and 2021), and once each for Al-Qadisiyah of Kuwait (2014), Al-Jaish Al-Warri (2004), Shabab Al-Jordan of Jordan (2007), Al-Ittihad Al-Syrian (2010), Al-Ahed (2019), and Al-Seeb of Oman. (2022).
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