The number of times Eugene Galekovic has contributed towards Adelaide United getting a favourable result continues to add up after another eye catching display that was exemplified by a save of the highest order.
The number of times Eugene Galekovic-s impact on a game has contributed towards Adelaide United getting a favourable result continues to add up after another eye catching display against Brisbane that was exemplified by a save of the highest order.
Time and again Galekovic has ‘come to the party- so to speak, standing tall when he is called upon. Then, just when you think he could not keep matching the standards he has set, the Reds- number one continues to amaze.
The dual Hyundai A-League Goalkeeper of the Year was in vintage form again at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday as he, together with a disciplined Reds outfit, kept Brisbane scoreless at home.
Galekovic has undoubtedly proved to be one of the club-s most significant signings since he arrived in Adelaide from Melbourne Victory in 2007, where at the time he was playing second fiddle to Michael Theo.
Last Sunday, in what was his 153rd appearance for the Reds in all competitions, he added yet another top drawer save to a growing highlight reel as he produced a sharp reflex save to keep out an Erik Paartalu header that seemed destined to find the back of the net.
As is his modest nature, Galekovic was playing down the quality of the save, although he was willing to acknowledge the importance of it in the context of the Reds securing all three points.
“It was just a reflex save, I just stuck my hand out and luckily I got enough on it to put it over the bar,” Galekovic recalls.
“It was good because we were one-nil up and it was one of those (saves) to keep us at one-nil and with 20 minutes to go it really helped the team.”
Under the pump for the majority of the 90 minutes after Dario Vidosic put the Reds in front in just the 3rd minute, Galekovic understands if may have not been pretty to watch but sometimes it is about grinding out a result.
“They bombarded us for most of the game, I think the biggest mistake we made was scoring so early,” Galekovic said.
“We knew they were going to come at us and we held on, the defence was great and we defended from the front which was great as well.”
“It-s good to win the game no matter how you do it. Obviously it would have been a lot better if we did it easier, but going to Brisbane we knew it was going to be hard, they-re a very good team and they-re very hard to beat over there.”
For Galekovic, the game against the Roar drew comparisons with what the Reds went through in a number of their away games in the AFC Champions League this year.
“In the end it was like being in an ACL game for us,” Galekovic said.
“We just had to stay compact and not let them get the ball in between the lines and I think we did that well.”
Considering what he has done at the Reds on a consistent basis, it is somewhat surprising Galekovic has not attracted more interest from abroad. It is no secret that goalkeepers can have a longer career than field players, suggesting that at 31 years of age Galekovic still has a number of good years left in front of him. He is certainly not closing the door if any overseas offers did come knocking, but if they don-t Galekovic is more than happy to keep calling Adelaide home.
