Defence key as Adelaide defeats goalless Perth Glory
Beating Perth Glory 3-0 on the road in the absence of three key young players has left Adelaide United coach Marco Kurz happy, especially with his team's defensive performance.
Adelaide came into the clash in Perth on Friday night having lost two of their past three games to be clinging to a spot in the top six.
But it all clicked, with goals to Daniel Adlung, Nathan Konstandopoulos and Johan Absalonsen.
It improved Adelaide to third position, at least temporarily, with Melbourne City and Victory yet to play this weekend.
Adding to the satisfaction for Kurz was that Paul Izzo, Ben Garuccio and George Blackwood were unavailable due to Olyroos duties.
Kurz was particularly impressed with his team defensively to hold Glory goalless at home and with the performance of 20-year-old Daniel Margush in place of Izzo in goals.
"It's very important and it also shows that the whole team was very good in the defence," Kurz said.
"We stayed very compact and I don't think Perth had a clear chance in the second half. That's from good team work for us.
"It's not too easy to come in halfway into the season but he [Margush] did good and also the whole team helped him with good defensive work.
"I'm not surprised because I have seen his quality in the trainings, but I know young players can make mistakes which is why I'm happy for him because we will miss Paul Izzo for four games more."
Adelaide faces another season-defining clash on the road on Wednesday against Western Sydney.
The Reds are just three points ahead of the Wanderers and Kurz knows the importance of the contest.
"When we see the table, both teams are very close and every game is important and very close. You must perform in every game 100 per cent to get points," Kurz said.
"We know it's very difficult to play Western Sydney, they have two wins in a row so they are a good team, but we are also a good team."
AAP
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ABC .net
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