‘Best 45 minutes of the season’: Kurz hails his Reds after toppling Victory

Adelaide United boss Marco Kurz rated his side’s first-half showing in the 2-0 win over Melbourne Victory on Wednesday night their best 45 minutes of the season.

The Reds were simply sensational in the opening half, blowing Victory away with some eye-catching football and a high-pressing game.

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And they got their reward in the space of three first-half minutes, with Craig Goodwin and Ken Ilso scoring to set-up the win inside the first 30 minutes.

Victory improved after the break and could easily have got back into the contest if not for some superb stops from Paul Izzo, while Terry Antonis hit the bar.

While Kurz was delighted with his side’s opening 45 minutes, he feels they need to learn to be more ruthless to close out matches.  

"The first half was maybe the best in the season," the Reds boss said.

"The second one was more (of a) fight. I think we must in the future be more clever to stay in our opposition (half) and to play better the final pass.

"We gave them two big chances and that we have to learn to make it better; make it a game that's much easier to bring it to the end. But at the end it was a big win.

"I think from the first minute on we showed everybody in the stadium that we are ready for a big game and that we are ready for a big win," Kurz added.

"It was a good step to win against Victory at home is always a big win, it's a derby and it's the champion from last season."

For Victory, the defeat was their first since Round 2, snapping their nine-game unbeaten run.

Coach Kevin Muscat felt his side paid the price for a lack of urgency midway through the opening half but refused to be critical given their excellent run over the last two months.

Muscat also praised the performance of winger Elvis Kamsoba, who made his Hyundai A-League debut from the start after signing with the club from NPL side Avondale FC.

“He's earned the opportunity, it's just as simple as that. It's a great story, an unbelievable story, and I was really proud of him,” Muscat said of Kamsoba.

“He performed immensely. He gave everything and he's waited a long time for this opportunity. He's been training with us for quite some time, obviously without being able to register him until the 3rd of January, when the window opened.

“He played one youth team game last week and he's just been showing and showing in his eagerness and willingness to learn that he was really desperate for an opportunity and that's what we need from every player, that's the type of attitude we need from everybody.”

Victory return to Melbourne for Saturday night’s clash with Newcastle Jets, while Adelaide are on the road in Round 13, taking on Sydney FC at Jubilee Stadium on Sunday.