The Central Coast Mariners have fallen out of their Australia Cup quest after losing on penalties to Sydney FC in the round of 32 held in Wollongong last weekend.
The Mariners side came back from 2-0 down in the first half to equalise with their A-League rivals after an incredible header from Alou Kuol and then a successful penalty by Tulio after Theoharous was felled in the box.
After regular full-time, the scores were 2-all, forcing two extra time halves.
The Central Coast team lifted in their characteristic ‘won’t back down’ style of football and surpassed Sydney with a cracking goal by Steele to lead the match at the end of the first half of extra time.
Noah Smith nearly gave the Mariners a fourth, with only the post denying his header.
Things were looking grim for Sydney up until the dying minutes of the game when they scored to force the match into a penalty shootout.
In a remarkable mirror of the Matildas’ quarter-final against France, 11 penalty shots a side were required to decide the match, with Sydney goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne beating the Mariners’ substitute keeper Adrian Segecic in the sudden death shootout.
Sydney won the penalty decider 10-9 after every player on the field took one penalty kick each.
Coach Nick Montgomery congratulated Mikael Doka, Nathan Paull, Aydan Hammond and Jack Warshawsky, who all made their Mariners debuts on the night for the first team.
CCN