Adelaide United Ninja A-League coach Theo Tsiounis praised his side’s resilience and impact from the bench after a 2-1 win over Perth Glory at Coopers Stadium on Friday night, a result that delivered the Club’s first ever four-game winning streak.
After falling behind, the Reds fought back with a goal from Fiona Worts and an Olimpico from Sarah Morgan to claim all three points in a memorable standalone occasion, with Tsiounis crediting the group’s belief, the work done on the training track, and the club’s continued investment in the women’s program.
Tsiounis on the match and the comeback win…
“Yeah, I thought it was a tough game. Perth were well organised and got a lot of quality going forward, and made it quite challenging for us at times. I think that we had a few opportunities early on to score a couple of quick goals, which would probably change the game to some degree. However, they kind of managed to get ahead. And I thought, credit to the girls in terms of being able to fight back from one goal down to get the result, which was exceptional.”
Tsiounis on the tactical tweaks and the impact from the bench…
“I think naturally the games tend to open up a bit. The plan was always to inject a bit of intensity and a bit of quality as the game goes on. Chelsie Dawber, Lara Gooch, Milsy came on, Paige was able to impact the game, and Dylan. All the changes that we made, we knew they were going to take it to another level. We wanted to tidy up a few areas and try to open up some spaces between the midfield line and back line. We thought we could get Erin Healy and Condon and those players facing forward in those gaps a little bit quicker and try to hurt them.”
Tsiounis on the injury update for “Milsy”…
“I haven’t got a report yet. We’ll wait and see what comes through tomorrow morning. Hopefully nothing significant, because she’s been exceptional. So it’s really unfortunate.”
Tsiounis on the Club’s first ever four-game winning streak…
“This year, every week we’ve kind of broken a new record, which is credit to the group and credit to the girls for believing and fighting hard and bringing to life all the things that we work on in training and the details. We always say we focus on the process and the details and the rest takes care of itself, and that’s a good example of what happens. We’re looking to finish off the season strong in the next few weeks and see how far we can go.”
Tsiounis on climbing to second and the quick turnaround to Melbourne City…
“The beauty of it is everything’s in our own hands, so it’s up to us how far we go, and we definitely prefer it that way than relying on other teams to do us favours. It’ll be tough with Melbourne City – they’re an exceptional side on paper and they’re tough for a reason. Really looking forward to going there and giving it everything we have, and hopefully we can come away in a good position.”
Tsiounis on a special Coopers Stadium night and the connection with fans…
“It’s credit to the club for the investment that they’ve put into the women’s program. The standalone game obviously means a lot to the girls, and they spoke about it before going out, what it means to them and how important it is. They want to enjoy this moment and remember it, so it’s a special occasion. It makes it even sweeter being able to walk away with the three points.”
Tsiounis on the International Women’s Day theme and the women in his life…
“Unfortunately, my mother wasn’t able to make it, but my wife was here, and my daughter was also here. Two very special people in my life. They’re always there for me and give me the opportunity to spend time away and be part of a club. I’m very thankful for everything that they’ve done and acknowledge the difficult times that they’ve gone through, but also the opportunities that they have going forward as women. Special day, special night.”
