Marco Kurz admits he could not be prouder of his Adelaide United players after guiding the Reds to a 2-1 FFA Cup 2018 Final triumph.
Craig Goodwin inspired the Reds to the victory with an impressive brace in front of a packed-out Coopers Stadium on Tuesday night.
Kurz said his side found themselves on the back foot at times throughout proceedings, but felt overall his side were deserving winners.
“I think it was a special night for us,” Kurz told the media in the post-match press conference.
“When I look back on the 90 minutes I thought in the first-half we didn’t play as well as we expected.
“But the second-half there was a lot of pressure and a lot of good moments.
“And I think in the right moment we had luck with them hitting the crossbar (at the end of the game).
“But I think we were the better team and I’m so happy and proud for the boys because they worked everyday so hard and they’re champions.
“For our improvement it’s also very important and the crowd was fantastic.”
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Kurz signalled out Goodwin for his match-winning performance, before swiftly applauding the rest of the members of the squad – highlighting the collective effort.
“He’s a very important player for us,” the German tactician said.
“I think he’s an important part of the team, but everybody knows that it’s a team sport and I think the team spirit and the team performance was very good.
“Craig was a part of that and that was one of the reasons we signed him.
“We know the special quality on the left foot and today I learned his special quality on the right foot.
“It was a special moment I’m very happy for him but not only the players on the pitch, the players on the bench, the injured players.
“I think the whole group is very special, I said this last season but this year it’s one step more than last season.
‘I’m happy for each player and I’m very proud to be the coach of the boys.”
Kurz also said winning the trophy gives him a great sense of pride and personal satisfaction.
He added it’s one of his career highlights as a coach.
“It’s one of my highlights, it’s not easy to win trophies,” he said.
“That’s my third trophy in my career and after 14 months is not too bad to win a trophy in Australia and I’m very happy.
“It’s for me special but it’s a special moment for the team and I’m happy when the boys are happy.”
Adelaide United face Central Coast Mariners in Round 3 of the Hyundai A-League 2018/19 season on Sunday, 4 November at Central Coast Stadium. Kick-off is at 4.30pm ACDT. Live and Exclusive on Fox Sports and streamed on the My Football Live App.
