Cassio clocks Central Coast
A first-half goal from Cassio has given Adelaide United a much-needed 1-0 victory over Central Coast at Hindmarsh Stadium on Friday night.
Despite coming off a four-match winless streak, the Reds attacked this encounter from the outset and deserved the result against a Mariners' outfit that was starved of opportunities by some hostile Adelaide defence.
Reds' striker Lloyd Owusu failed to make the most of an early one-on-one with Mariners' stopper Danny Vukovic but Cassio made no mistake just after the half hour when he put his side in front with a curling free kick.
Adelaide captain Travis Dodd, back from a calf injury, was crudely tackled by John Hutchinson in the 32nd minute and Cassio stepped up, curling his free kick around the wall, the ball ricocheting into the back of the net off the underside of the bar.
Central Coast, in the meantime, probably enjoyed its best opportunity to score in the eighth minute when last week's hero Matt Simon saw his header cleared off the line by Alemao.
The result was just Adelaide's second win for the season after beating Perth in Round 1, taking the Reds to fifth on the Hyundai A-League table ahead of the rest of the round being played. Central Coast remains in third but has missed the opportunity to leapfrog Sydney FC into second after losing for just the second time this campaign.