Reds Head Coach Carl Veart addressed the media following Adelaide United’s dramatic 2-2 draw with Auckland FC at Coopers Stadium on Wednesday night.
Veart discussed the late twists in the match, his team’s mentality, and the contentious decisions surrounding the game. Here’s what Veart had to say:
Veart on conceding a late goal…
“It’s disappointing. It was a tough game tonight. Unfortunately, we didn’t play, and we played more their brand of football than our brand of football. They put a lot of pressure on you all over the pitch, and make it a contest. So, it was a difficult game for us. And, as you say, to score in the 95th or 96th minute, whatever it was, when there was only seven extra minutes, and, you know, they scored in the 99th extra minute. So we played two extra minutes. I don’t know where that came from. So, look, it’s disappointing to concede so late, but proud of the boys. The effort they put in tonight, it was a very tough test for them.”
Veart on VAR involvement on United’s equaliser…
“I find it interesting how VR can step in there when there are three linesmen all say it’s fine. Is that clear, obvious foul? Is it well, so why? Why does VAR even step in there? There was yes a little bit of contact. But if you’re going to pay that, then I think we’re going to have 20 penalties every time there’s a corner because there’s more short pulling and more blocking than that. So, I just found it interesting that VAR actually stepped in there.”
Veart on his substitutions…
“I think all season, the guys that have come off the bench and have had an impact, and that’s all you can ask of your squad because it takes the full squad to win games. And, you know, we saw that again tonight. Yaya came on, set the goal up, and Archie scored twice. So it was excellent from those guys.”
Veart on the team’s mentality on coming from behind yet again…
“It shows, as I said, terrific resilience and determination. It’s something that we’ve had a lot of focus on this year about making sure we stay in the fight and keep working. We did that tonight.”
Veart on preparing for the next game…
“We’ll recover and focus on the next match. We’re still top of the table, and we need to keep building on what we’ve done so far. There’s always room for improvement, but I’m confident we’ll be ready for the next challenge.”
