Adelaide down Persipura to progress

Adelaide United have qualified for the AFC Champions League after a 3-0 win over Persipura Jayapura in their playoff on Thursday.

Close-range finishes from defenders Nigel Boogaard and Evgeniy Levchenko, followed by a late Sergio van Dijk strike, assured Adelaide of a spot in Group E alongside Gamba Osaka, Bunyodkor and either the Pohang Steelers or Chonburi.

The result was never in doubt for Adelaide, and they spent most of the one-off match toying with a flat and lacklustre Persipura, who had only arrived in Australia 24 hours before kick-off.

Boogaard swept home the opener at Hindmarsh Stadium after the Indonesian champions failed to clear a corner on 12 minutes.

Ukrainian Levchenko doubled their advantage just before the hour-mark with his first goal for the club, volleying home after Osama Malik flicked on a Dario Vidosic corner.

Van Dijk completed what was a comfortable win six minutes from time, blasting a Zenon Caravella pass into the roof of the net.

The loss will come as a huge blow to Persipura, who fought desperately via the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for a spot in the playoffs after having taken part in the breakaway Indonesian Super League.