Marco Kurz admitted Adelaide United never reached their potential after enduring a 3-0 loss to premiers Sydney FC at Allianz Stadium on Sunday night.
Matt Simon opened the scoring deep in the first-half of added time and that goal made it an uphill battle to claim something from proceedings against the reigning champions.
Brazilian striker Bobo then netted a seven-minute brace after the interval to give Sydney an unassailable lead and snap United’s three-match unbeaten streak.
Kurz said the Reds failed to get into the clash and despite making a promising start could not dictate the game on their terms.
“I think we played only in the first ten, 15 minutes the football we want to play,” Kurz said in the post-match press conference.
“And after this we have no chance today and the minute is not good (to concede) but they played very good and we had a lot of pressure from them and no chance to create chances.
“And the result is fair and today we had no chance against Sydney.”
Kurz acknowledged his side struggled to maintain their structure, lamenting against a team like the Sky Blues every player must be at their optimum.
“I think if you win or play a draw against Sydney every player must play 100% in his best performance,” he said.
“And today I think we weren’t good in shape but for sure I’m very proud about each player for me because Adelaide United stayed in the finals after 25 rounds.
“And that’s very good and I think it’s normal that we can lose away in Sydney 3-0 and if we have a chance to come back maybe it’s a different game.”
Adelaide United face Western Sydney Wanderers in Round 27 of the Hyundai A-League 2017/18 season on Sunday, 15 April at ANZ Stadium. Kick-off is at 4.30pm ACST.