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THE Mariners have missed out on reaching the next phase of the Asian Champions League after going down 1-0 to Sanfrecce Hiroshima in Japan.
The Central Coast club battled with 10 men for the last 20 minutes of the game after Brent Griffiths was sent off, but the Mariners struggled to create any meaningful chances throughout the match.
It means Sanfrecce will go on to play Western Sydney in the last 16, while the Mariners begin their long trip home to take on the Wanderers in Saturday's A-League semi-final clash.
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It's a disappointing start to the most important week of the Mariners season and they will have to dig deep to make sure their domestic campaign extends beyond Saturday.
After a nervous opening 10 minutes, the Mariners settled into their rhythm comfortably enough to go into the break all square at 0-0.
Skipper John Hutchinson was caught in possession just outside the box and it was nearly a costly mistake, but Toshihiro Aoyama skied his attempt at goal.
Mariners skipper John Hutchinson couldn't prevent his side being eliminated. Source: AFP
Minutes later Naoki Ishihara missed his free header.
Some good interplay down the right between Storm Roux and Anthony Caceres nearly resulted in a goal for the Mariners, but veteran forward Mile Sterjovski couldn't get his attempt on target.
Chances were hard to come by after that, with the Mariners looking to hit Sanfrecce on the counter - a tactic they used to good effect against Brisbane and Adelaide in their previous two A-League matches. But, perhaps as a result of travel and fatigue, Central Coast lacked pace and options up front.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima players celebrate after scoring the only goal of the game. Source: Getty Images
Sanfrecce won a free-kick just on half-time and Tsukasa Shiotani stepped up with a powerful shot that Liam Reddy managed to punch safely away.
Both sides upped the tempo at the start of the second half, but Sanfrecce failed to capitalise on their early opportunities and had to wait until the 70th minute to get the breakthrough.
Josh Rose was brought on for Roux soon after the break, clearly with an eye on Saturday's grand final qualifier against Western Sydney in Parramatta. Mariners coach Phil Moss said before the game he planned to rest both his full-backs in some capacity, bearing in mind the club's taxing schedule over the next few days.
Matt Sim had a good game at left back for Central Coast. Source: Getty Images
Ishihara came close to giving the home side the lead when he found himself one-on-one with Reddy, but he dragged his shot inches wide of the far post.
Reddy was called into action again when he made an excellent one-handed save, diving to his right, to keep Yojiro Takahagi's free-kick out.
But the Mariners were forced to dig deep when Brent Griffiths, who had replaced Eddy Bosnar only moments earlier, saw red after he fouled a Sanfrecce player just outside the box. Shiotani's resulting free-kick took a huge deflection off Satoru Yamagishi, leaving Reddy stranded and earning the home side the win.
The Mariners challenging travel schedule means they will only arrive in Sydney on Friday morning, leaving them no time for a session before Saturday's crucial match against the Wanderers.
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