Adelaide United have qualified for the AFC Champions League after running out comfortable 3-0 victors in their playoff clash with Indonesian champions Persipura Jayapura at Hindmarsh Stadium on Thursday night.
Adelaide United have qualified for the AFC Champions League after running out comfortable 3-0 victors in their playoff clash with Indonesian champions Persipura Jayapura at Hindmarsh Stadium on Thursday night.
Two close-range finishes to defenders Nigel Boogaard and Evgeniy Levchenko, followed by a late strike to Sergio van Dijk assured the Reds of a spot in the AFC Champions League.
The result was never in doubt for Adelaide who toyed with a flat and lacklustre Persipura for most of the match with the Indonesian side only having arrived in Australia just over 24 hours prior to kick-off.
The loss will come as a huge blow to Persipura who fought desperately via the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for a chance to qualify for the Champions League after originally being removed from the competition for disciplinary reasons.
In the opening stanza neither team pushed forward in gusto with Persipura in particular looking reluctant to pressure Adelaide.
It took until the 11th minute for the game’s first foray in attack to take place through Adelaide’s marquee star Dario Vidosic, who after some sloppy play from the Reds took the game by the scruff the neck.
Vidosic jinxed his way through a number of players into the box before drifting a cross to the backpost to Dutch striker van Dijk only for his intelligent cutback to be cleared for a corner.
The resulting corner however produced United’s first goal when Boogaard prodded home a loose ball from fellow defender Levchenko’s header that was blocked on the line.
Adelaide pounced into action and almost had a second three minutes when Bruce Djite broke free down the right wing after Persipura defender Anis Tjoe lost control of the ball and put through an angled delivery to Iain Ramsay.
However the winger was to be denied after his lightning left-foot drive thundered off the inside of the right post.
After Adelaide’s long period of dominance, Persipura finally had their first attempt on 22 minutes through Beto but the Brazilian striker’s long-range effort flung wide for a corner.
With Adelaide happy to remain patient on the ball and not force the issue Persipura began to venture forward and almost found an equaliser in the 29th minute.
Beto and fellow attacker Tibo combined for a delicate one-two but the latter’s shot was smothered by Adelaide United captain and goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic who rushed out quickly to deny the 22-year-old.
Vidosic twice inside two minutes went awfully close to doubling the Reds’ advantage before half-time but his in-swinging free-kick and later, sharp effort from just inside the box after some neat build-up play with van Dijk both went just wide.
To begin the second half Adelaide increased the tempo and drove forward in numbers eager to put the result beyond doubt.
Cameron Watson who was finding acres of space on the Reds’ right flank whipped in a pinpoint cross to Djite in the 53rd minute but his free header was athletically parried away by Persipura custodian Yoo Jaehoon.
Watson was again at it moments later when another inch-perfect delivery found van Dijk prime to smash the ball in from point blank range, but the Dutchman was to be denied by Perispura defender Ricardo who slid in with a last-ditch tackle as the ball trickled wide.
Adelaide’s frenetic pressure in attack was eventually rewarded on 56 minutes when Osama Malik flicked back a Vidosic corner at the near post to Levchenko who scored his first ever goal for the Reds with a rifled a left-foot volley from just inside six yards.
Adelaide eventually assured of their progress into the group stage of the Champions League in the 84th minute when van Dijk belted substitute Zenon Caravella’s cut-back into the roof of the net.
Adelaide United 3 (Boogaard 12, Levchenko 56, van Dijk 84)
Persipura Jayapura 0
5,013 at Hindmarsh Stadium
