A-League
Central Coast Mariners Suffer Another Heavy Defeat
Mariners’ Winless Streak Extends to Six Matches
Central Coast Mariners’ tough campaign in the 2024-25 AFC Asian Champions League Elite continued on Tuesday night with a crushing 4-0 loss to Yokohama F. Marinos at Industree Group Stadium. The defeat leaves the reigning Isuzu UTE A-League Champions without a win in six matches and rooted to 11th place in the ACL Elite Eastern League table.
Marinos Shine Under Club Legend John Hutchinson
Yokohama F. Marinos, led by interim head coach and Mariners legend John Hutchinson, delivered a commanding performance. Hutchinson, who captained Central Coast to the 2013 league championship during his 12-year tenure as a Mariner, orchestrated his side’s emphatic victory against his former club.
Kenta Inoue opened the scoring just six minutes into the match, slotting a clinical strike off the right-hand goalpost. Inoue’s second goal came in the 30th minute after capitalizing on a rebound, doubling Marinos’ lead. Moments later, Anderson Lopes fired a powerful left-footed shot into the roof of the net, giving the visitors an unassailable 3-0 lead before halftime.
Mariners Struggle to Respond
The Mariners’ defense struggled to contain Marinos’ relentless attack, and though they showed more promise after the break, their efforts failed to yield any goals. Mariners matchday captain Bryan Kaltak narrowly avoided an own goal, thanks to an offside call, but the reprieve was short-lived.
Jun Amano added the final flourish for Yokohama with a spectacular free-kick in the 70th minute, sealing a dominant 4-0 victory for the visitors.
Central Coast’s Campaign in Jeopardy
With just one point from six games, Central Coast Mariners’ hopes in the AFC Champions League Elite are all but extinguished. Two matches remain in their group stage campaign, offering limited opportunities to salvage pride from an otherwise disappointing tournament.
