BRUCE Djite scored a screamer and a penalty to lead Adelaide to a 4-1 win over Melbourne City in their semi final at Coopers Stadium.

Djite struck early in the second half to give the hosts a deserved lead, bending a fabulous strike from outside the box. Adelaide went further ahead on an hour when Bruce Kamau was brought down in the area and Djite stepped up to double the lead.

With 19 minutes to play Nick Fitzgerald cut the margin with a sweet shot after Connor Chapman’s drag back from the byline but Adelaide put it beyond doubt in the final minutes as Dylan McGowan volleyed in a corner. Deep into injury time Pablo Sanchez added the cream with a smart finish at the back post off a Djite cross.

DJITE: I USED LAPTOP TO OUTFOX KEEPER

SEMI FINAL PLAYER RATINGS

Adelaide had 20 shots to 9 in a dominant home display and will face either Western Sydney or Brisbane Roar next week full of confidence. Their opponent will be decided on Sunday.

Adelaide United coach Guillermo Amor said he was proud of his winning players.

“I’m feeling fantastic,” he said. “It’s important to enjoy this moment - and to think that there is one more game, to prepare well.”

Melbourne City coach John van `t Schip said his side were outclassed by Adelaide.

“We didn’t get to the level that we thought we could,” he said. “We didn’t keep the ball good enough, didn’t create, (striker) Bruno (Fornaroli) was isolated too much ... it was hard work.”

It took three impressive saves from City’s Thomas Sorensen to keep the scores level at halftime.

Bruce Kamau had the best chance to give the hosts the lead when he was put in on goal in the 34th minute but Sorensen stretched to slow the ball’s progress and it was cleared as it headed for the net.

Adelaide were the superior team in the first half and got the lead they deserved just after the restart.

Djite broke the deadlock with a stunner in the 48th minute: after Marcelo Carrusca sliced through Melbourne’s defence and laid off, Djite launched a sweet right-footer that smacked into the side netting from outside the area.

And in the 60th minute, Djite added another after Bruce Kamau, whose speed and skill bothered City all night, was brought down in the box.

The contact from Melbourne defender Jack Clisby appeared marginal, but Djite assuredly slotted the penalty with a low-left blast to delight the sell-out 15,489 Adelaide crowd.

City’s Fitzgerald then caused some home-town jitters with a clinical right-footed goal from 10 metres out to revive the visitors with 20 minutes remaining.

But their fate was soon sealed: in the 88th minute, from an Adelaide corner, McGowan deflected into the net from close range and, in the last minute, Sanchez added another as United remained on track to claim the double - the Premier’s Plate and the Championship trophy.