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2024 AFC Cup final

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2024 AFC Cup final
Event2023–24 AFC Cup
Date5 May 2024 (2024-05-05)
VenueSultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Muscat, Oman
RefereeOmar Al-Ali (UAE)
Attendance1,930
2022

The 2024 AFC Cup final was the final match of the 2023–24 AFC Cup, the 19th edition of the AFC Cup, Asia's secondary club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the final edition under the AFC Cup title, as the competition was revamped under the name AFC Champions League Two starting in 2024–25.[1] The final was contested as a single match between Al-Ahed from Lebanon and Central Coast Mariners from Australia. The match was played at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat on 5 May 2024.

Central Coast Mariners won the final 1–0 to crown their maiden title and become the first Australian club to win the competition. By also winning the competition, Australia became the first and only nation in the AFC to have had clubs winning both the AFC Champions League and AFC Cup, after Western Sydney Wanderers' win of the 2014 AFC Champions League. It was also the third, and final time, that a club from outside West Asia had won the competition.

Background

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This was the first meeting between Central Coast Mariners and Al-Ahed. For Central Coast Mariners, this was their first AFC Cup final appearance in the club's history under the appointment of Mark Jackson.[2] The Mariners were competing to win their first continental trophy and complete a treble with the league premiership and the finals series in hand after the final. At the time, no Australian clubs have secured three trophies in a season or an AFC Cup title.[3] In contrast, this was Al-Ahed's second AFC Cup final appearance, having won 1–0 in 2019 against April 25 at Kuala Lumpur Stadium,[4] the first continental title for the club and Lebanese football.[5] The final was due to be the last edition of the AFC Cup before the reformat to the AFC Champions League Two the next season.[6]

Team Zone Previous finals appearances (bold indicates winners)
Lebanon Al-Ahed West Asia Zone (WAFF) 1 (2019)
Australia Central Coast Mariners ASEAN Zone (AFF) None

Venue

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Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat, Oman, hosted the match.

The match was originally scheduled to be hosted by Al-Ahed at the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium in Beirut, Lebanon. However, due to the ongoing Lebanese liquidity crisis, combined with concerns of the Israel–Hamas war, the match was instead played on a neutral ground at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat, Oman as the home stadium of the Lebanese side.[7]

Road to the final

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Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).

Lebanon Al-Ahed Round Australia Central Coast Mariners
Opponent Result Group stage Opponent Result
Oman Al-Nahda 2–1 (H) Matchday 1 Malaysia Terengganu 0–1 (A)
Syria Al-Fotuwa 0–1 (A) Matchday 2 Philippines Stallion Laguna 9–1 (H)
State of Palestine Jabal Al-Mukaber Cancelled (H) Matchday 3 Indonesia Bali United 6–3 (H)
State of Palestine Jabal Al-Mukaber Cancelled (A) Matchday 4 Indonesia Bali United 2–1 (A)
Oman Al-Nahda 1–2 (A) Matchday 5 Malaysia Terengganu 1–1 (H)
Syria Al-Fotuwa 2–1 (H) Matchday 6 Philippines Stallion Laguna 3–0 (A)
Group A runners-up
Pos Team Pld Pts
1 Oman Al-Nahda 4 9
2 Lebanon Al-Ahed 4 6
3 Syria Al-Fotuwa 4 3
4 State of Palestine Jabal Al-Mukaber 0 0
Source: AFC
Final standings Group G winners
Pos Team Pld Pts
1 Australia Central Coast Mariners 6 13
2 Malaysia Terengganu 6 12
3 Indonesia Bali United 6 7
4 Philippines Stallion Laguna 6 1
Source: AFC
Opponent Agg. 1st leg 2nd leg Knockout stage Opponent Agg. 1st leg 2nd leg
Iraq Al-Kahrabaa 1–1 (a.e.t.) (4–2 p) 0–1 (H) 1–0 (A) Zonal semi-finals Cambodia Phnom Penh Crown 4–0 (H)
Oman Al-Nahda 3–2 1–0 (H) 2–2 (A) Zonal finals Australia Macarthur FC 3–2 (a.e.t.) (A)
Inter-zone play-off semi-finals India Odisha 4–0 4–0 (H) 0–0 (A)
Inter-zone play-off finals Kyrgyzstan Abdysh-Ata Kant 4–1 1–1 (A) 3–0 (H)

Format

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The final was played as a single match, with the host team (winners of the West Asia Zonal final) alternated from the previous season's final.

If the game would be tied after regulation time, the winning team would be decided by extra time and, if necessary, a penalty shoot-out.

Match

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Details

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Al-Ahed Lebanon0–1Australia Central Coast Mariners
Report [8]
  • Kuol 84'
Attendance: 1,930
Referee: Omar Al-Ali (United Arab Emirates)


Al-Ahed
Central Coast Mariners
GK 95 Lebanon Mostafa Matar
RB 6 Lebanon Hussein Zein (c) Yellow card 75' downward-facing red arrow 83'
CB 18 Lebanon Felix Michel Melki Yellow card 90+7'
CB 5 Lebanon Khalil Khamis
LB 2 Syria Diaa Al-Haq Mohammad
RM 10 Lebanon Mohamad Haidar downward-facing red arrow 60'
CM 22 Lebanon Walid Shour Yellow card 81'
CM 12 Lebanon Hassan Srour
LM 21 Syria Mohammad Al Marmour downward-facing red arrow 88'
CF 99 Syria Mohammad Al Hallak
CF 9 Scotland Lee Erwin
Substitutes:
GK 1 Lebanon Shareef Azaki
GK 13 Lebanon Shaker Wehbe
MF 7 Lebanon Ali Al Haj upward-facing green arrow 60'
DF 8 Lebanon Hussein Dakik
MF 11 Lebanon Karim Darwich upward-facing green arrow 88'
FW 20 Lebanon Karim Fadel
MF 24 Lebanon Hassan Farhat
FW 71 Lebanon Zein Farran
DF 23 Lebanon Ali Hadid
DF 4 Lebanon Nour Mansour upward-facing green arrow 83'
MF 30 Lebanon Mahmoud Zbib
MF 91 Lebanon Karim Abo Zeid
Manager:
Syria Raafat Mohammad
GK 20 Australia Danny Vukovic (c)
RB 2 Brazil Mikael Doka
CB 23 Fiji Dan Hall
CB 3 Vanuatu Brian Kaltak
LB 18 Australia Jacob Farrell
RM 39 Australia Miguel Di Pizio downward-facing red arrow 66'
CM 6 Australia Max Balard
CM 26 Australia Brad Tapp downward-facing red arrow 89'
LM 7 Australia Christian Theoharous downward-facing red arrow 46'
CF 99 England Ryan Edmondson downward-facing red arrow 64'
CF 4 Australia Josh Nisbet
Substitutes:
GK 30 Australia Jack Warshawsky
FW 37 Australia Bailey Brandtman
FW 9 Australia Alou Kuol upward-facing green arrow 64'
DF 33 Australia Nathan Paull
FW 17 Australia Jing Reec
FW 22 Brazil Ronald Barcellos upward-facing green arrow 46'
DF 15 New Zealand Storm Roux upward-facing green arrow 66'
MF 16 Australia Harry Steele upward-facing green arrow 89'
FW 14 Australia Dylan Wenzel-Halls
MF 28 Australia William Wilson
Manager:
England Mark Jackson

Assistant referees:
Mohammed Al-Hammadi (United Arab Emirates)
Jasem Al-Ali (United Arab Emirates)
Fourth official:
Sultan Al-Hammadi (United Arab Emirates)
Reserve assistant referee:
Abdulla Al-Marri (Qatar)
Video assistant referees:
Adel Al-Naqbi (United Arab Emirates)
Yahya Al-Mulla (United Arab Emirates)

Statistics

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Overall
Statistic Al-Ahed Central Coast
Goals scored 0 1
Total shots 6 10
Shots on target 2 4
Yellow cards 3 0
Red cards 0 0

References

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  1. ^ "2019 AFC Cup Competition Regulations" (PDF). AFC.
  2. ^ "Team News and Match Preview: Jacko makes two changes". Central Coast Mariners. 5 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Mariners secure premier's plate, coach eyeing-off bigger trophies". ABC News. 1 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  4. ^ "AFC Cup – Preview Final: Al Ahed FC (LBN) v Central Coast Mariners (AUS)". Asian Football Confederation. 4 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  5. ^ Mahfoud, Maroun (5 November 2019). "Observations from Ahed's AFC Cup triumph". FA Lebanon. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  6. ^ "History beckons for AFC Cup™ 2023/24 contenders as final edition of popular competition kicks off". Asian Football Confederation. 15 September 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  7. ^ "Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex hosts AFC Cup Finals". Oman Observer. 28 April 2024.
  8. ^ https://www.the-afc.com/en/matches/afc-cup/20232024/2420055
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