Adelaide United captain Craig Goodwin has urged his side to show ambition to push on and match the consistent level of Isuzu UTE A-League powerhouse Melbourne City after a statement 4-2 win over the league-leaders on Friday night.
Adelaide went behind early against City at Coopers Stadium before three goals had the Reds cruising on the hour. City clawed one back before Reds young gun Nestory Irankunda sealed the win with a goal inside the final 10 minutes.
The emphatic comeback win was an important one for the Reds, who entrenched themselves deeper in the top four with the three-point display. But Goodwin sees producing that form on a consistent basis as the next step in his club’s progression.
“For sure, of course I’m happy with the win,” he told Paramount+. “But, I look at performance and say: ‘If we can do these things better, then perhaps we’ll be on that consistent level that Melbourne City is at’.
“Obviously we’re happy to win the game, we’re happy to do that – but we’re trying to build something more. I believe in this squad, and we believe in ourselves. We’ve put up a good run of form, but we have to keep trying to improve, keep trying to be better if we’re to challenge Melbourne City and anyone else in the championship.”
City took the lead four minutes later thanks to Andrew Nabbout, who latched onto a pass from Richard van der Venne and cut inside Barr on the edge of the area before firing low and hard past Joe Gauci.
Just before the half-hour, Reis and Hiroshi Ibusuki challenged for the ball at a corner and clashed heads, resulting in both being substituted.
United found an equaliser three minutes into first-half added time after a well-worked short corner.
Louis D’Arrigo took possession and whipped in a cross towards the back post where Barr powered a header past Thomas Glover.
The Reds added a second just five minutes into the second half, after Isaias recycled a corner and picked out Craig Goodwin with a delightful diagonal pass.
Adelaide’s skipper controlled with his chest before curling a half-volley into the bottom corner.
D’Arrigo made it 3-1 on 57 minutes after City failed to deal with a cut back from Ben Halloran. The poor clearance fell to Zach Clough who teed it up for D’Arrigo to finesse his shot from just inside the area.
Marco Tillio pulled a goal back for the visitors five minutes later, left unchecked and nodding in a corner from Valon Berisha.
Irankunda was introduced with 15 minutes remaining and the teenage sensation sealed the win for United in the 84th.
Isaias collected his second assist, lifting the ball over City’s defence for Irankunda to run on to and blast past the onrushing Glover.
“They’re an excellent side,” United coach Carl Veart said.
“It just took us a little while to adjust to the pressure they were putting on us to play through, and once we started to play through that pressure we started to have a little bit more belief in ourselves.”
City boss Rado Vidosic added: “We probably controlled the ball a little bit better in the first 15-20 minutes and we created the better chances.”
“But then for some strange reason I think we were over confident and there were too many flicks, too many things that maybe was not the right moment to try and then the game just became transitional.”
