Teenager to Mariners’ rescue in Asian Champions League
Central Coast Mariners have finally broken their duck in the group stage of the Asian Champions League Elite, with 19-year-old substitute Bailey Brandtman proving their last-gasp hero in a dramatic 2-2 comeback draw with with Shanghai Shenhua.
The Chinese Super League visitors had looked to be on their way to victory on Tuesday night with goals in the space of 14 second-half minutes from Brazilian Andre Luis and Yu Hanchao putting them two up after 64 minutes in Gosford.
But Sabit Ngor pulled one back for the Australian champs with 15 minutes remaining, before teen Brandtman proved the AFC Cup holders’ saviour five minutes into added time with his acrobatic leveller from close range after a corner.
The youngster’s late intervention with his first senior goal at last broke the losing run in the competition for Mark Jackson’s side.
It gave them their first point in the fourth game of the campaign, but still leaves them one from bottom of the 12-team eastern zone table, with only South Korea’s Ulsan yet to earn a point, below them.
In front of their own fans at Central Coast Stadium, the Mariners finally provided them with something to cheer, but may have been frustrated they didn’t come away with a win.
Mariners captain Brian Kaltak watched a first-half header clip the crossbar with Shanghai’s goalie beaten, while Ryan Edmondson had a stoppage-time header cleared off the line just before the break as the hosts dominated.
But they were left to rue their profligacy when Luis bent a right-foot curler into the net five minutes after the break before Yu followed suit with a similarly well-taken strike.
Kenyan-born Ngor had been off the bench just three minutes when he rounded the keeper to score from an angle with 15 minutes left after being freed by fellow sub 16-year-old Haine Eames’ through ball, before Brandtman’s late, late show.
Ulsan now prop up the standings without a point following their 3-0 loss to Malaysian side JDT.
Japan’s Vissel Kobe moved top of the table, the J-League champions ending Gwangju FC’s perfect start to the league phase with a 2-0 win in Kobe.
The top eight finishers in the 12-team standings in both east and west Asia advance to March’s knockout rounds, with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final all due to be played on a centralised basis in Saudi Arabia in April and May.
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