New signing Karim Matmour made his first Adelaide United appearance in the adapted friendly match which saw the Reds prevail 2-1 against Melbourne City on Tuesday.
The French-born Algerian international is the Club’s most recent acquisition and boasts a plethora of Bundesliga and international pedigree.
Matmour said he was pleased with his maiden hit-out which occurred at the City Football Academy.
The 32-year-old impressed in his unofficial Reds debut and even won the penalty which was subsequently converted by George Blackwood.
“For me it was my first game with the team,” he said.
“It was really good I got to know my teammates on the pitch in a game situation.”
Despite his auspicious performance, Matmour said he and the team still have plenty of work to be do ahead of the upcoming Hyundai A-League season.
“My target is to play well for the first official game,” he said.
“We’re in one process and I think we’re getting better and better every day.
“But we’re still not at our targets, we need to work more but we’re on the way and this is what I think about this game against Melbourne.
“It was one step closer to reaching our targets, but there’s still a lot of work to do.”
Matmour, who scored two goals in 30 caps for Algeria, also revealed he has enjoyed working with Head Coach, Marco Kurz.
“In Germany he’s very famous, he’s a big coach,” he said.
“He proved in Germany that he’s a good coach and he has good ideas and he’s testing everything because we’re in preparation.
“He’s testing everything to see what he can do with this team and that’s why we’ll see what the results will be over the next few weeks.”
Matmour also indicated he was hopeful of playing some part in the Westfield FFA Cup Quarter Final clash against Heidelberg United on Wednesday night.
“We will see, the coach will have to decide,” he explained.
“I’m training every day to get my fitness up and I’m working every day.
“Even the team, we’re working every day and we’ll see what happens next week.”
It is also Matmour’s first time in Australia with the former SC Freiburg man revealing he and his family are transitioning well to life in Adelaide.
“It’s my first time and I’m getting positive vibes from this city and this country,” he said.
“And it’s nice to live here, the people are nice and the mentality is very good.”
Adelaide United will face Heidelberg United in the Quarter Finals of the 2017 Westfield FFA Cup on Wednesday, 13 September at Olympic Village. Kick-off is at 7.00pm ACST.
