Video: Adelaide United 3 – FC Bunyodkor Kuruvchi 0 (AFC Champions League Semi Finals)

Adelaide United took a giant stride towards their first AFC Champions League final on Wednesday.

The Australians scored three second-half goals to crush Uzbeki giants FC Bunyodkor Kuruvchi 3-0 in their semi-final first leg, ensuring a handy buffer when they travel to Tashkent for the return tie on October 22.

They stifled their big-spending opponents with Brazil’s former World Player of the Year Rivaldo largely anonymous, giving Kuruvchi’s new coach Zico—who steered Japan to the 2004 Asian Cup title—plenty to ponder.

Match Details

Adelaide United 3 (Diego 57’, Barbiero 76’, Cristiano (pen) 89’)

Bunyodkor/Kuruvchi 0

Crowd: 16,998 @ Hindmarsh Stadium

Referee: Sun Baojie (China)

Adelaide United: 30.Eugene GALEKOVIC (gk), 4.Angelo COSTANZO, 6.CASSIO, 10.CRISTIANO, 13.Travis DODD (Captain) (21.Jason SPAGNUOLO 77’), 14.Scott JAMIESON, 16.Daniel MULLEN (5.Michael VALKANIS 81’), 18.Robert CORNTHWAITE, 22.DIEGO (7.Lucas PANTELIS 83’), 24.Paul REID, 26.Fabian BARBIERO.

Substitutes Not Used: 9.Paul AGOSTINO, 20.Mark BIRIGHITTI (gk), 25.Robert YOUNIS.

Yellow Cards: Jamieson 64’

Red Cards: Nil

Bunyodkor/Kuruvchi: 25.Bugalo PAVEL (gk), 2.Bakhtiyor ASHURMATOV, 5.LUIZAO, 6.RIVALDO, 14.RAIMKULOV (20.Anvarjon SOLIEV 82’), 17.Jose Luis VILLANUEVA (10.Ulugbek BAKAEV 45’), 19.Jasur HASANOV (9.Shavkat SALOMOV 69’), 23.Sakhob JURAYEV, 26.Azizbek HAYDAROV, 29.Timur KAPADZE, 30.Server DJEPAROV (Captain).

Substitutes Not Used: 4.Hayrulla KARIMOV, 8.Rashidjon GOFUROV, 12.Murotjon ZUKHUROV, 13.KHVOSTUNOV.

Yellow Cards: Bakaev 85’

Red Cards: Nil