(Reuters) – Central Coast Mariners coach Nick Montgomery labelled Australia’s World Cup-bound teenager Garang Kuol “lethal” as the forward signed off from A-League action with a brace from the bench against Macarthur FC.
The 18-year-old, the youngest member of the Socceroos squad heading to Qatar, scored twice to pull 10-man Mariners level against Dwight Yorke’s team but a late goal from Jed Drew earned the Bulls a 3-2 win that moves them to fourth in the standings.
But it was the performance of Kuol that was the key talking point as the youngster underlined once against why Australia coach Graham Arnold included him in his 26-man squad for this month’s finals.
“We know in key moments he’s lethal and on that angle, that finish that’s why he’s going to the World Cup and that’s why Graham Arnold…picked him over everyone else because that’s what he can produce,” said Montgomery.
Kuol has not allowed the lack of a first professional start to stop him from making a rapid rise, with the forward already signing a contract to join English Premier League side Newcastle United in January.
Montgomery introduced Kuol from the bench in the 55th minute and 10 minutes later he struck from the penalty spot after drawing the foul himself to halve the deficit.
It was his second goal seven minutes later, though, that raised pulses as Kuol smashed home an unstoppable right-foot shot that rocketed over goalkeeper Nick Suman from an acute angle.
Kuol’s intervention was in vain, however, as Drew scored on the break five minutes into injury time to defeat a Mariners side that had played with 10 men since Brian Kaltak’s sending off in the 30th minute.
“(Garang) singlehandedly changed the game for them,” said former Manchester United striker Yorke. “He’s been doing it for the past two games and you can see why he’s an exciting talent.
“Probably doesn’t deserve to lose the game today but we needed the three points and I’m delighted about that.”
(Reporting by Michael Church in Hong Kong, Editing by Shri Navaratnam)
