Nathan Konstandopoulos says he was thrilled to score his first goal in the Hyundai A-League, as Adelaide United defeated Perth Glory 3-0 at nib Stadium on Friday.
Johan Absalonsen found the 21-year-old, who doubled the Reds’ advantage after arrowing a shot into the bottom right corner from inside the area.
Konstandopoulos admitted it was pleasing to score in such a pivotal stage of the match.
“It was great to get my first goal for a great Club,” he said.
“I think it came at a crucial time in the game, it was important for us to settle the game a little bit.
“And hopefully in the future I can do more, and help the team out as best I can.”
The young midfielder has been a revelation for Marco Kurz this season since returning from Brisbane Roar during the winter.
“To get more game time is fantastic and I’m an Adelaide boy,” he said.
“I grew up loving this Club so to be back here is amazing.”
He has featured in 13 out of 14 league games – starting in seven of those and demonstrating a combination of composure and poise on the ball.
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Konstandopoulos said he has excelled under the tutelage of the German tactician.
“The boss has said that he has got confidence in me and I repay his confidence by working hard and giving everything in each game,” he said.
“He’s been really good to me, he talks to me all the time and tells me what I need to improve on, so he’s been really good, the boss is great.
“If you make a mistake he’ll obviously pull you aside and say what you can do better and how you can improve.
“And then he’ll give you the confidence to go again and he said to me make plenty of mistakes have confidence in yourself and I think he’s really good in that regard.”
Konstandopoulos, who recently signed a two-year contract extension last month, stated his next challenge was to maintain his form moving forward.
Moreover, Adelaide now have a short turnaround to prepare for Wednesday’s clash with the Western Sydney Wanderers at ANZ Stadium.
Konstandopoulos revealed morale within the squad was high and expected a difficult game.
“The mood is good in the change room at the moment,” he said.
“We recognise how close the league is at the moment, we know that a good result can put us further up the table.
“But I think we are just focusing on ourselves, we are listening to the boss on what he has to say and listening to the structures for this week and we’ll go from there.
“We know that Josep has a very well structured team, he like to play a certain style
“And we know that we are in for a tough game every time we play his teams.”
Adelaide United will face Western Sydney Wanderers in Round 15 of the Hyundai A-League 2017/18 season on Wednesday, 10 January at ANZ Stadium. Kick-off is at 7.20pm ACDT.
