Adelaide United’s striker Apostolos Stamatelopoulos is set to host a lavish BBQ according to his boss Marco Kurz
Adelaide United coach Marco Kurz was content with the goals but not the red card to Apostolos Stamatelopoulos and is expecting the 19-year-old to throw some food on the barbie for the Reds.
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ADELAIDE United coach Marco Kurz said wryly he expects striker Apostolos Stamatelopoulos to host a huge team barbeque to pay for his almost disastrous sin of being sent off for a poor challenge on Sunday.
The 19-year-old had just scored his second goal before a late tackle on Wellington Phoenix’s midfielder Mandi from the restart drew the attention of the video assistant referee just before the Reds were heading for halftime refreshments at Hindmarsh.
Adelaide was leading 3-0 before Stamatelopoulos gave referee Jonathon Barreiro no other option other than to expel the striker once he saw the replay of the incident after initially handing him a yellow card.
“He’s a young boy, he will learn,’’ Kurz said after an impressive 3-1 win over Phoenix despite playing the second half with 10 men.
“At the moment I have said nothing to him, but I’m happy in the next days or next week we will have a big barbeque.
“The sponsor is Apostolos Stamatelopoulos (he will put it on) for the team with meat, maybe scampi and I hope the boy has a good idea.
“He made a big mistake but he’s a boy from my group.
“In the first seconds (after the send off) you are very angry as a coach but he made a mistake and you keep going…I think AP (Stamatelopoulos) will organise a very good one (barbeque).”
Kurz will now miss the Western United bound striker at least for one other important clash which could also shape its home finals destiny when Adelaide meets Melbourne City (sixth) away on Saturday.
The German said he would assess which player can step into the striker’s role for Stamatelopoulos next weekend but he was apologetic for his side delivering a sub standard second half performance.
“A very effective first half (but) the game was not really good, the structure was not what we expected but very good was the goalscoring,’’ he said before making a sarcastic remark.
“And then it’s Adelaide United.
“You can have it easier in the second half but our decision was to play with 10 men against 11 and then you must fight again, fight for the win, at the end the result the three points are very important.
“By the way a big compliment for the boys and for the fans it was a good support, the second half was not really a soccer game for visitors (fans).
However Kurz was content Adelaide had found goalscoring form at home.
Michael Marrone jagged just his second A-League career goal with a perfect header from a Craig Goodwin corner in the 10th minute before Stamatelopoulos nailed his first of the game.
The teenager’s predatory instinct was evident when he was first to Scott Galloway’s super cross after Ben Halloran created an overload on the right wing with a clever backheel pass before the striker nailed a second with a headed finish from a Goodwin assist.
Phoenix’s Cillian Sheridan scored a consolation goal in the second half when the Irishman was first to pounce on a rebound.