Head Coach Tony Popovic spoke to the media after Victory’s 2-1 Derby win on Saturday night.
On the performance…
“We certainly deserved the win.”
“These games are always difficult. They’re unique. The intensity, the passion of the supporters, the players. It’s a special game to be a part of.”
“I’m delighted that we came from behind. Showed great character, but also great football.”
“In the end we had to be resilient. We had to suffer a bit at the end.”
“But I thought over the whole game, we deserved the win.”
On the late winner:
“We haven’t got enough reward from set plays.”
“We’ve been really trying to emphasise on the players, how important, in a tight game, a set piece can be.”
“There were a few there that we really could have scored prior to Damien. But he certainly has a habit of doing that.”
On Damien Da Silva:
“He brings a lot of experience. A lot of calmness.”
“He brings an amazing professionalism that a lot of our young players can follow.”
“He’s come here and just slotted in seamlessly. We’re very happy he’s here.”
On avoiding a late slip up:
“The last two games we’ve had a lead and had to defend well at the end.”
“I’m very happy for the group that that happened.”
“A lot of games we’ve played well and in certain moments, (a poor) split-second decision and we’ve been punished for it.”
“There is a lot of belief in the group. I believe we’re certainly showing that at the moment.”
On the upcoming Olyroos departures:
“We send them off wishing them all the best.”
“I’ve experienced an Olympics, fortunately, as a player. Who am I now to try and stop their dream?”
“We want youngsters to improve at this football club. We’ve done a lot of work to try and improve the academy space.”
“We have to keep producing more players.”
“We have a squad that we believe can cover their absence.”
