Airton Andrioli says Adelaide United’s 5-3 penalty shootout win over the NPL All Stars was another valuable step in pre-season, but stressed there is still plenty of work to do before Round 1.
A late Brody Burkitt header forced the game to penalties after Craig Goodwin earlier netted a trademark free kick, with the Reds ultimately prevailing at ServiceFM Stadium.
Andrioli on the importance of the match…
“It was very important for us to have this game. They came with a good squad, well organised and made things difficult. We had a very heavy training week, so of course there was some rust with the ball, but overall, we need matches like this at this stage of pre-season.”
On United’s fightback and late equaliser…
“That’s football. Nobody wants to lose or stay behind. I was pleased with the character of the team to come back late. Craig played his first 90 minutes and felt comfortable, which is important for him and for us.”
On practising penalties in pre-season…
“Hopefully we don’t need them, but it’s always part of football. Today it was just part of the game, and I won’t read too much into it.”
On the NPL All Stars’ performance…
“Credit to them. It shows the quality of our NPL here in South Australia. Some very good players played today and made it difficult for us. That’s what we want- challenging matches to prepare us properly for the season.”
Match Details
NPL All Stars 2-2 Adelaide United (AUFC win 5-3 on penalties)
Goals:
AU: Goodwin, Burkitt
NPL: Kasumovic (OG), Santos De Oliveira
