City falls to Wests APIA in Round Five
Adelaide City travelled to Sydney’s inner west to take on Wests APIA at Lambert Park, 36 years and one day after the last time that fixture was last played at the venue.
Despite the hype leading up to the historic occasion, Vas Parhas' men faced a painful case of déjà vu early on.
In Round 2 of the Australian Championship, Adelaide City had an unfortunate start after conceding a goal to APIA’s Fabian Monge just 116 seconds into the game.
In the Round Five reverse fixture, the City backline failed to deal with a Marquez Walters cross in the first attack of the game, allowing Jordan Segreto to record the fastest goal in the competition's young history at just 54 seconds, his second goal against Adelaide City in the tournament.
The Black and White did not have an ideal start, but they had chances, with Mori and Kitano finding themselves in good positions but miscuing at crucial moments.
APIA snuffed out any City momentum when a clever corner routine found Segreto unmarked on the edge of the box, and his well-controlled shot flew through a sea of bodies, wrong-footing Groff in goal to make it two for the hosts.
After a moment to forget, Groff showed character by not lowering his colours, sparing his teammates blushes with multiple high-quality saves to send his team into the break only two goals behind, when it could easily have been more.
The Black and White entered the second half with some renewed urgency and had their best spell in the game, with Josh Mori having his side’s best chance of the game after allowing the ball to roll past him and his defender before taking a left-footed shot that rolled just wide of the post in the 57th minute.
The improved state of play did not last, with Groff forced out of his box to snuff out a Marquez Walters run, before his clearance only reached substitute Taye Hedley near the halfway line, whose hopeful volley went beyond the young goalkeeper and his defenders to record the APIA super sub’s second goal against Adelaide City in as many games.
The hosts threatened to blow the game out of the water, with Jack Stewart allowed too much time and space but hitting the crossbar, and Walters being denied a well-deserved goal by the post.
Wests APIA’s victory kept Franco Parisis’s side undefeated and ensured its qualification for the Quarter-Finals of the Australian Championship for a second consecutive season.
Adelaide City will host their last game of the 2026 Australian Championship at home against Broadmeadow Magic, looking to leave a mark on Group B and claim a first win in the competition.
Match Details
Wests APIA 3 (Sotirio 87’ (pen), 90+2’)
Adelaide City 0
2026 Australian Championship — Round 5
Thursday, 12 November 2026
Lambert Park
