Melbourne City Captain, Aziz Behich, praised his side’s resilience and fight in what he described as a deserved 3-2 win against Brisbane Roar on Friday night at AAMI Park.
The experienced defender acknowledged a below-par first half but lauded the group’s response after the break, as City fought back twice to secure a vital three points at home.
Speaking post-match, Behich reflected on the turnaround, crediting the team’s response after a disappointing first-half showing.
“I think we controlled the game, one lapse of concentration put us 1-0 behind, but the first half wasn’t the way we’ve been all season,” Behich told 10 Football.
“It was sloppy, and we knew that at half time, the boss, Viddy [Aurelio Vidmar], let us know that’s for sure at half time. And we knew we had to come out and put our first foot forward and I think we did that, credit to the boys.”
With the match hanging in the balance on multiple occasions, Behich praised the squad’s resilience to twice respond and ultimately claim all three points.
We had to come from behind and get in the lead and deal with the equaliser and get back in the lead again. So I’m proud of the boys tonight.
“I think we deserved the win in the end.”
The result saw City move into second place on the table following the Friday night fixture, and although the team were awaiting the rest of the weekend’s results, Behich was clear about the Club’s focus heading into the pointy end of the season.
“Obviously, you know, we knew what was up for grabs tonight and that was to get ourselves into second spot. When you play the first game of the week, you put pressure on everybody else and we wanted to get the three points,” he said.
“Obviously you know, I’ll watch the other games and hopefully get the results we want, but if not, you know, we just want to go on this run, leading into the playoffs.”
With a crucial away clash against Western Sydney Wanderers up next on Saturday night, Behich highlighted the belief within the squad, despite the challenges faced this season.
“We’ve put ourselves in a good position considering the circumstances we’ve been in this season. Boys are fighting, I think we’re playing great football, and look, obviously we’ve got to enjoy this one and, focus on, Western Sydney next week.”
