PERTH Glory maestro Diego Castro orchestrated a 5-0 belting of a demoralised Adelaide United in Friday night’s A-League match.
Castro scored two goals, set up another for Andy Keogh and featured in the lead- up to Adam Taggart’s score as Perth climbed to fourth spot.
Adelaide can’t slip any lower on the ladder - they’re last - but they plunged to fresh, dark depths in a ramshackle display at Coopers Stadium. The loss was Adelaide’s biggest on home soil, eclipsing their 0-4 result just seven weeks ago against Sydney FC.
After kickoff was delayed one hour because of extreme heat, Adelaide defender Iacopo La Rocca neatly scored the first goal - for Perth.
The Reds’ defender inexplicably headed a Josh Risdon cross into the net from close range in the 15th minute - the goal would have been perfectly executed, had it been at the other end.
The own-goal sapped Adelaide’s spirit and Perth capitalised in ruthless fashion to bank their seventh win of the season.
After La Rocca limped off with a right leg complaint 20 minutes after his blunder, Castro was a central figure in two rapid-fire goals. The Spaniard helped himself in the 37th minute - after collecting near the byline, he dodged Adelaide’s Riley McGree and then weaved a right-footer into the far-side netting.
Just nine minutes later, Castro tore towards goal after Keogh won possession in midfield.
Keogh tracked his teammate upfield and Castro duly delivered a gold-plated lay- off which the Irishman coolly converted.
It took the Glory just one minute into the second half to extend their lead to 4-0 - and Castro was again involved.
The 34-year-old aimed a speculative left-footer across the goal-face which rebounded into the path of Taggart, who belted into the net from five metres. The Spanish master wasn’t finished: in the 88th minute, he drifted on to an Aryn Williams pass for a tap-in which completed Adelaide’s misery.
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