Adelaide United have been comprehensively outclassed by Singaporean champions Lion City Sailors, sent packing from Jalan Besar Stadium after a 5-0 ACL2 defeat.
Australian teams’ horror run in Asia has continued with Adelaide United dispatched 5-0 by Singaporean club Lion City Sailors in the Asian Champions League 2 (ACL2).
Falling behind after just five minutes at the Jalan Besar Stadium and three goals down at halftime, the Reds were thoroughly outclassed, with two second-half goals completing the drubbing.
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It capped a thoroughly miserable week for Aussie sides on the continent, with the Newcastle Jets and Melbourne Victory having lost in the Asian Champions League Elite and ACL2, respectively, earlier in the week.
Combined, the trio have now played 13 continental games, winning three – Adelaide twice – compared to one draw and nine defeats.
But while the winless Jets’ hopes of progression are effectively dead, Victory and Adelaide still harbour hopes, with the Reds facing a must-win game away to Hong Kong side Tai Po later this month, before hosting Thailand’s BG Pathum.
Before then, they’ll host hated foes Victory on Sunday, with both sides chasing a desperately needed first win of the A-League Men season.
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Adelaide, though, will need to defend better in that game than when they backed off Matthias Phaeton in the fifth minute on Thursday, gifting the Guadeloupean international space to score.
Emblematic of the growing gap between Asia’s best-resourced teams and the cash-strapped A-League, Phaeton was one of ten foreigners Lion City started, with their one local – Singaporean international Kyoga Nakamura – a naturalised Japanese-born midfielder.
It is those resources that attracted former Central Coast Mariners’ treble-winning manager Mark Jackson to the club two months ago.
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Former Socceroo Bailey Wright made it 2-0 from a corner in the 17th minute, before Adelaide coughed up possession cheaply in the 41st and were punished when Lennart Thy flicked Nakamura through for a simple finish.
Substitute Ilhan Fandi struck in the 71st minute and Phaeton nabbed his second in the 75th to complete the rout – one that could have been worse had Phaeton not skied an 88th-minute penalty.
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