Adelaide United has done it again on the Asian stage and Luciano Trani could not be prouder to be part of it.
Adelaide United has done it again on the Asian stage and Luciano Trani could not be prouder to be part of it.
Speaking after a game in which the home side had to wait until the 90th minute to break the deadlock against the Pohang Steelers, the Reds- Assistant Coach could not hide his satisfaction on the result, particularly after the Reds were outplayed when the sides met in South Korea a fortnight ago.
“It-s an uplifting performance really, especially from what happened the last time we played them, and we were in a position tonight where the boys have said ‘lets have a go at them-,” Trani said.
“We have fought through some huge hurdles this year and now I think we-re seeing some of the benefits from it and it-s a credit to the players and the coaching staff.”
As the game neared its conclusion and the likelihood of a winner seemed all the more unlikely, Trani-s memories of past AFC Champions League games at Hindmarsh had him thinking there was every chance of some late drama.
Trani admitted to feel privileged to have witnessed and played a role in another memorable Asian night at Hindmarsh when those who were at the ground will look back in years to come knowing they were there when Hindmarsh erupted when the Reds beat Pohang at the death.
“Especially when you-re playing at home and history will say that Adelaide United at home in the Asian Champions League, you never know when the winner will come,” Trani said.
“So I think they-re moments that people will always cherish and continue to believe that it is just there, just keep persisting, and I think that was the reward tonight.”
In his post mortem of the game, Trani could not go without mentioning the contribution of captain Eugene Galekovic and that breathtaking 11th minute save that prevented Pohang from taking an early advantage.
“It reminded me of Gordon Banks when he was playing for England when he tapped it just as it was heading for the corner,” Trani said in regards to Galekovic-s reflex save.
“Again when the chips are down he (Galekovic) will come up strong and tonight was just a brilliant performance.”
Nine points in the bank may be enough for Adelaide United to make it through to the Round of 16 with two match days remaining, but Trani says the Reds will not be leaving anything to chance and is not going to start celebrating prematurely.
“Sometimes it (nine points) does and sometimes it doesn-t (get you through to the next stage) but I think we-ve got to make sure in our next home game against Bunyodkor that we get a positive result out of that and then we-ll be just about where we need to be to qualify for the next stage, so this sets us up in a very good position to qualify.”
