SYDNEY FC dashed Kaya FC-Iloilo’s dream of making a second straight appearance in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League main tournament with a comprehensive 5-0 romp in Tuesday’s Preliminary Round Playoff at the Netstrata Jubilee Stadium in Sydney.
Amid strong winds and torrential rain, the A-League powerhouse went on a four-goal rampage in the second half to put the game beyond Kaya’s reach after holding a slim 1-nil advantage in the first 45 minutes.
Sydney advanced to the ACL group stage with two-time winner Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors of Korea, Yokohama F Marinos and Japan and Hoang Anh Gia of host Vietnam in Group H.
With the loss, Kaya shifts its focus to the AFC Cup, the second-tier club competition in the continent, where it joins Indonesia’s Bali United, Malaysia’s Kedah Darul Aman and Cambodia’s Visakha FC in Group G.
Trent Buhagiar fired Sydney’s opening goal at the half-hour mark, sending the ball home after Kaya keeper Zach Banzon’s initial save against Kosta Barbarouses’ attempt.
As the conditions got tougher coming off the break, the host Sky Blues opened the floodgates with Brazilian stiker Bobo and sub Adam le Fondre netting a brace apiece.
Bobo scored on a poacher’s finish in the 47th then converted a penalty two minutes after. His reliever, Le Fondre, picked it up from there and converted a header in the 71st and a wind-altered goal kick in the 81st. — Olmin Leyba
