Central Coast coach Lawrie McKinna has praised his team for a much-improved Asian Champions League performance against Kawasaki Frontale in Japan but admits he’s shattered the Mariners didn’t get anything from the game.
Only a fortnight after they were humiliated 5-0 by Kawasaki in Gosford, the A-League side was much more competitive in the reverse Group H fixture in monsoonal conditions at the Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium on Tuesday night, losing 2-1.
After Matt Simon had equalised in the 60th minute it looked like the Mariners would secure a crucial away point but their defending from set pieces let them down again when substitute Carlos Renatinho headed an 82nd-minute winner.
“We defended and frustrated Kawasaki most of the night and we created most of the best chances, so I’m very proud of how the team has come back from a 5-0 defeat,” McKinna said.
“But very disappointed that we didn’t take anything from the game.
“We came here after a very poor performance on the Central Coast and with a game plan to make it very hard for Kawasaki and generally we did a very good job.
“We did well to get back into the game, but again, we didn’t clear a corner properly and two set plays have cost us two goals.”
In Tuesday night’s other Group H game, Korea’s Pohang Steelers were held to a 0-0 draw with Chinese side Tianjin Teda.
That means the Mariners face a must-win clash against Pohang in Korea on May 5 and will also likely have to win their final group match, against Tianjin in Gosford on May 19, to finish second in their group and progress to the knockout stages.
First item on the agenda for McKinna, however, will be addressing his side’s problem with conceding from set pieces, one that has blighted both their ACL campaign and the late stages of their A-League season.
“I’m very, very disappointed again with our defending from set pieces,” McKinna said.
“In general play I was very happy, but at set pieces we were very poor.”
Kawasaki, the tournament’s second-favourites behind Gamba Osaka, booked their place in the final 16 with Tuesday night’s win.
“(Central Coast) came out hard and tight and that annoyed us in the first half,” Frontale coach Takashi Sekizuka said.
“Despite those difficulties, our players tried to play their brand of football to the end of the game and that brought us this victory.”
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