Adelaide United defender, Tarek Elrich, insists there is no cause for concern following the Reds’ heart-breaking 2-1 defeat against Melbourne Victory at Coopers Stadium on Saturday.
The versatile full-back netted a stunning equaliser in the pulsating match, cancelling out Besart Berisha’s opener, however in the 93rd minute Marco Rojas struck the winner for the visitors from close range.
And despite United remaining winless after the first three rounds of the Hyundai A-League season, Elrich is adamant the positive results will soon follow.
“It was a tough pill to swallow, but for us if I had the solution to say we were playing bad or what we need to do to improve, then I’ll be the smartest man alive,” Elrich said.
“Because to be honest I don’t think we’re doing too bad as a team, we’re playing some great football and look it’ll be just a matter of time before we turn things around.
Take a look through some of the best photos from last night’s match. Gallery: https://t.co/F5bI4QyCUN #AUFC #ADLvMVC #OriginalRivalry pic.twitter.com/ziSHxQVEvG
— Adelaide United FC (@AdelaideUnited) October 23, 2016
“We’ll just continue to take it game by game and continue with the game plan and we know we have got plenty of quality.
“For us we’re confident in ourselves and what we’re trying to do here at Adelaide and it hasn’t been an easy start, but we we’re confident we can turn things around.”
The 29-year-old also took time out to reflect on his exceptional goal, but admitted it was largely in vain considering the Reds were unable to collect any points from the clash.
“It was a proud moment for me, but it was definitely cancelled out by that late goal we conceded,” Elrich said.
“It just happened quick, I was actually looking for a cross but then when I looked up in the box there was no one really in there.
“There was Sergi (Guardiola) with about five players around him so I just thought everyone else has had a shot in the team today.
“So I thought I’d take matters into my own hands and yeah as soon as I hit it, I thought that felt good and it ended up in the back-of-the-net.
“At the time we were dominating the game and to turn things around for us was always good, but in saying that we had a number of chances to finish them off.”
.@elrich11: We were the better side. More: https://t.co/FbnTcvkl1N #AUFC #ForeverUnited pic.twitter.com/LLkYyiHkHE
— Adelaide United FC (@AdelaideUnited) October 23, 2016
Elrich also praised the fans who attended the game, revealing it contributed to the magnificent spectacle and urged them to continue to come out and support the Club.
“It was a great match, our fans especially were amazing, credit to their (Melbourne Victory) fans for coming out,” Elrich continued.
“A packed Coopers Stadium, there’s nothing better than that.
“So don’t lose faith in us. Come out and support us because you guys reap the rewards when we do well as well.
“I know it’s cliché but we lose together and we win together.”
Adelaide United will face Melbourne City in Round 4 of the Hyundai A-League 2016/17 season on Friday, 28 October at AAMI. Kick-off is at 7.20pm ACDT.
