Jordan Elsey admits he was left “speechless” after an enthralling Original Rivalry which saw Adelaide United prevail 2-1 to Melbourne Victory on Friday.
The Reds had two players dismissed from the match late on and therefore had to preserve their slender lead against a wave of incessant pressure from the hosts with nine men.
Elsey said he was blown away by what was an epic clash and praised the team’s resistance.
“What a game, I’m speechless,” he told Fox Sports after the game at Etihad Stadium.
“We never practice to play with nine men so I mean credit to all the boys, they defended well and we fought to the end.
“And that’s what training is like. We are always fighting and we want the best out of each other.”
Elsey lauded Isaías’ stunning performance and believed he was a major reason as to why Melbourne struggled to penetrate the United backline.
“It was definitely hard for them to get through the middle,” he said.
“I thought Isa (Isaías) played well and it’s great having Isa in front of us, he’s rock solid and nothing really gets past him.”
Elsey said he has enjoyed forging a strong centre-back partnership with Ersan Gülüm and revealed he is always looking to the 30-year-old for advice.
The imposing defender played over 100 matches with Turkish Süper Lig giants Beşiktaş and has also been capped seven times by Turkey.
“I’m learning off him every day,” he said.
“He’s got a lot of experience and he’s a class player and it shows in these big games like this.
“He brings the boys along and he’s my roomy, so I’m always picking his brain.”
Adelaide United will face Newcastle Jets in Round 11 of the Hyundai A-League 2017/18 season on Saturday, 16 December at McDonald Jones Stadium. Kick-off is at 5.05pm ACDT.
