The Western Sydney Wanderers demolished Guizhou Renhe 5-0, finishing first in their AFC Champions League group and booking their place in the Round of 16.
Even though the Wanderers could have progressed with a loss depending on other results, Tony Popovic and his charges took destiny by the scruff of the neck and gave Guizhou a thrashing for the ages. The visitors Guizhou had no chance of qualification and sent a small travelling party that only included three substitutes and no reserve keeper.
The lack of interest from the Chinese Super League team showed very early, with Shannon Cole opening the scoring in only the 5th minute. Antony Golec took on several defenders before knocking the ball into the path of Cole. He controlled the ball with his chest then hit a perfectly aimed side volley that glanced off the post and into the net.
Despite the total domination of the match by the home side they were unable to push through a second goal before the half-time whistle. Guizhou came out stronger in the second half, but were never truly at the races with their second string lineup.
Guizhou were the architects of their own demise as Labinot Haliti pounced on a dreadful defensive error. Tomi Juric pressured the Guizhou back four into a suicidal back pass that allowed Haliti to take two touches into the box before side footing past the hapless goalkeeper.
The Wanderers put a third on the scoreboard in the 80th minute, from a in-swinging corner the Guizhou defence couldn't clear, and after a handball shout was turned down the referee then awarded a clear cut penalty as Michael Beauchamp was hauled down inside the 6 yard box by Guo Sheng while the big defender was trying to offload to a Red & Black team-mate. Aaron Mooy was substituted moments before the incident, and with perhaps his first touch of the night Mooy calmly stroked the ball into an empty net with the keeper diving the wrong way.
The Tuesday night got even better in the 84th minute, departing Wanderers legend Shinji Ono wrote another chapter into the story of his time in Australia by absolutely smashing a punched clearance on the half volley into the roof of the net.
The night was finished off in style by Nikolai Topor-Stanley who attacked an in-swinging corner that the Guizhou defence and goalkeeper couldn't even get close to. From point blank range and an empty net Topor-Stanley couldn't miss, securing a 5-0 result, the biggest ever by an Australian side in the AFC Champions League. The win secured top spot in the group, setting the stage for a two legged home & away tie in the Round of 16, with a to be determined opponent.
The Wanderers next match is the A-League semi-final against the Central Coast Mariners, at Parramatta Stadium on Saturday the 26th of April.
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