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.
| Event | 2023–24 AFC Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Date | 5 May 2024 | ||||||
| Venue | Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Muscat, Oman | ||||||
| Referee | Omar Al-Ali (UAE) | ||||||
| Attendance | 1,930 | ||||||
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 edit
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) |
|---|---|---|
 Al-Ahed
|
West Asia Zone (WAFF) | 1 (2019) |
 Central Coast Mariners
|
ASEAN Zone (AFF) | None |
Venue edit
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 edit
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).
| Al-Ahed
|
Round | Central Coast Mariners
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Result | Group stage | Opponent | Result | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Al-Nahda
|
2–1 (H) | Matchday 1 |  Terengganu
|
0–1 (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Al-Fotuwa
|
0–1 (A) | Matchday 2 |  Stallion Laguna
|
9–1 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Jabal Al-Mukaber
|
Cancelled (H) | Matchday 3 |  Bali United
|
6–3 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jabal Al-Mukaber
|
Cancelled (A) | Matchday 4 | Bali United
|
2–1 (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Nahda
|
1–2 (A) | Matchday 5 | Terengganu
|
1–1 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Fotuwa
|
2–1 (H) | Matchday 6 | Stallion Laguna
|
3–0 (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Group A runners-up
Source: AFC
|
Final standings | Group G winners
Source: AFC
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | Knockout stage | Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Al-Kahrabaa
|
1–1 (a.e.t.) (4–2 p) | 0–1 (H) | 1–0 (A) | Zonal semi-finals |  Phnom Penh Crown
|
4–0 (H) | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Al-Nahda
|
3–2 | 1–0 (H) | 2–2 (A) | Zonal finals | Macarthur
|
3–2 (a.e.t.) (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| — | Inter-zone play-off semi-finals |  Odisha
|
4–0 | 4–0 (H) | 0–0 (A) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Inter-zone play-off finals |  Abdysh-Ata Kant
|
4–1 | 1–1 (A) | 3–0 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Format edit
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 edit
Details edit
| Al-Ahed | 0–1 | Central Coast Mariners |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
        Al-Ahed
|
 Central Coast Mariners
|
|
Assistant referees:
|
Statistics edit
| 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 edit
- ^ "2019 AFC Cup Competition Regulations" (PDF). AFC.
- ^ "Team News and Match Preview: Jacko makes two changes". Central Coast Mariners. 5 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ "Mariners secure premier's plate, coach eyeing-off bigger trophies". ABC News. 1 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ "AFC Cup – Preview Final: Al Ahed FC (LBN) v Central Coast Mariners (AUS)". Asian Football Confederation. 4 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ Mahfoud, Maroun (5 November 2019). "Observations from Ahed's AFC Cup triumph". FA Lebanon. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex hosts AFC Cup Finals". Oman Observer. 28 April 2024.
External links edit
- AFC Cup, the-AFC.com
- AFC Cup 2024, stats.the-AFC.com