Carl Veart was extremely proud of his side after Adelaide United secured a plucky 2-1 Elimination Final win away to Brisbane Roar on Sunday.
It was the Reds’ maiden Finals victory outside of South Australia and the result consigned Brisbane to its first postseason defeat on home soil in the A-League.
“I’m very happy the boys put in a tremendous shift today,” a delighted Veart told Fox Sports following the match.
“I’m so happy for them, the work that they put in this season to get that result.”
Tomi Juric delivered an inspired performance, scoring a two goals in four minutes to stun the home crowd into silence before Brisbane rallied after the break.
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Adelaide had to survive incessant spells of pressure, but United’s defensive unit held on after conceding from a set-piece in the 56th minute through Alex Parsons.
“Hats off to Brisbane they threw everything at us in that second-half,” he said.
“Our boys dug in and that’s finals football. It doesn’t have to be pretty at times, you just have to win and that’s what the boys did.
“I’m very happy with the performance, the defensive rear guard in the second-half was excellent.”
Adelaide now meets Sydney FC next weekend with a spot in the Grand Final on the line.
The Reds have experienced every result possible against the Sky Blues this season, most recently suffering a 4-1 loss at the end of May.
Veart though said his team could take confidence from its two earlier performances against them which yielded a 1-0 triumph and a come-from-behind 2-2 draw.
“I’ve always said and I still believe Sydney are the best team in the A-League, have been for a long time,” he insisted.
“We have to be at our best to beat them. We were earlier this year and I think the draw that we had away to them this year as well was one of the best games of the season I believe and we just have to play that well again.”
Match details:
Saturday, 19 June vs Sydney FC
A-League 2020/21 – Semi-final
Kick-off 6.35pm ACST
Venue: Netstrata Jubilee Stadium
Broadcast: Fox Sports
Stream: Kayo Sports, MyFootball Live App
