The Central Coast Mariners had a tough start to their 4th Asian Champions League. They were simply outclassed by their Korean opponents in Seoul on Tuesday night. Goals from Osmar from the penalty spot after a bizarre decision and a world class goal from Yun II Lok was enough to see off their A-League opposition.
FC Seoul started off slowly, understandable given that they were still being in pre-season, but the Mariners were also slow, with no penetration in the final third and they struggled to break-down their superior opponents. Seoul’s first chance came from a corner with Sergio Escudero’s shot cleared off the line by John Hutchinson. The night went from bad to worse when Seoul was awarded one of the most bizarre penalties you could ever see. Sergio Escudero went in to challenge for a ball with Josh Rose and Rose was judged to have caught the man late and the penalty was given. To rub salt in the wounds, the penalty was struck against the post and into the net.
It was the Mariners who started off the 2nd half brightly and had a golden opportunity in the 50th minute. Bernie Ibini and Nick Fitzgerald combined on the right flank and sent a cross over to Josh Rose who could only strike his effort way above the crossbar. A dagger through the heart was delivered just a few minutes later when Seoul ventured down the Mariners right side with the ball worked out to Kim Chiwoo whose low cross was beautifully dummied by Escudero and then lashed into the bottom corner by Yun II Lok. The Mariners had Liam Reddy to thank after several Seoul shots were saved by the Mariners glovesman.
The game was heading towards inevitable conclusion when a rash challenge from Marcel Seip saw him given a straight red card. The Mariners now were just waiting for the final whistle. The Central Coast Mariners adventure in Asia started off with a loss to the Korean outfit, but there was significant improvement in their performance. Five straight losses in all competitions is most unlike the Mariners, but with Phil Moss taking over a much depleted team, the only way is up for the defending A-League champions.
