Adelaide United have been eliminated from the 2023 Australia Cup, after a 5-1 loss to Western Sydney Wanderers at Marconi Stadium on Tuesday night.
United were made to pay for a slow start, conceding a second-minute Marcus Antonsson header, and the Wanderers never looked back.
While the Reds regained some composure through spells of possession after the early blip, they were unable to pose a real threat to Lawrence Thomas’ goal until late on.
Bernardo looked most likely for the visitors, showing glimpses of the form shown prior to the serious foot injury that kept him out for the entirety of the 2022/23 Isuzu Ute A-League season.
The Wanderers were physical, and clinical on the counter, adding two more before the half to give them a virtually unassailable 3-0 lead.
The game was then firmly decided after 56 minutes, when the score read 5-0.
Zach Clough scored an 81st minute consolation for the Reds, pouncing on a spilled Luka Jovanović effort.
