Late Doka penalty seals Mariners' win over Wanderers

Doka's 82nd-minute conversion on Sunday ensures the Mariners retain second spot on the A-League Men ladder.

The Brazilian recruit coolly sent Wanderers goalkeeper Daniel Marguish the wrong way before slotting the match-winner into the right side of the goal.

Doka's game-breaker came after Western Sydney defender Gabriel Cleur brought down Mariner Ronald Barcellos in a tangle of legs.

"A fanastic win against a really good team," Mariners coach Mark Jackson said.

"We limited them to very little. Our structure was fantastic and our players work their socks off."

Central Coast move to 31 points, still five behind pacesetters Wellington Phoenix. The Wanderers (25) remain sixth, now just three points clear of seventh-placed Melbourne City.

Wanderers coach Marko Rudan was seated in the Central Coast Stadium grandstand while serving the first match of his three-game suspension for recent tirades against referees.

And the displeasure of Rudan will have been exacerbated by a first-half flashpoint leading to a match-ending injury to Wanderers forward Marcus Antonsson.

In the 29th minute, the Swede was hurt in a crude sliding challenge from Jacob Farrell, with the Mariners defender fortunate to only receive a yellow card.

Antonsson tried to continue playing but was substituted five minutes later amid fears of a fractured foot, during an opening half when both clubs went close to scoring.

Wanderers assistant coach Jean-Paul de Marigny said Antonsson's injury was yet to be fully assessed, and expressed disappointment at losing "a pretty intense contest".

"We had a lot of possession but we didn't really get in the box enough to create real clear-cut chances," he said.

Wanderers winger Nicolas Milanovic was in the thick of his side's attacking sorties, blasting a long-range shot just wide in the seventh minute.

Milanovic launched another powerful shot 14 minutes later, with Central Coast goalkeeper Danny Vukovic just getting a fingertip to the ball before it thumped into the crossbar.

From the rebound, the Mariners went on a fast charge, finishing with striker Jing Reec, whose left-footer was body-blocked by approaching Wanderers keeper Daniel Marguish.

Central Coast went even closer to scoring in the 44th minute from a corner when a Brian Kaltak header smacked into the right post.

The Mariners' near-misses continued in the second half, with substitute Ryan Edmondson unable to finish two gilt-edged chances in three minutes.

But the game-turning penalty soon came when one Brazilian Mariner, Barcellos, drew a foul, which was converted by another Brazilian, Doka.

Australian Associated Press