A win is often considered the tonic for ails in sport.
A win is often considered the tonic for ails in sport.
And according to Melbourne Heart FC-s star striker Mate Dugandzic, that proved to be the case in the immediate aftermath of the club-s 3-0 win over the Newcastle Jets.
Dugandzic said the locker room was abuzz with excitement, and a significant dose of relief as Heart recorded its first win of the campaign.
“The win instils a lot of confidence. In the playing group we always have the belief that we can win games we were somewhat unfortunate in a couple of previous games to not get the win,” he said.
A few of the boys were a bit relieved and when we got back in the rooms everyone was very upbeat and feeling good. It was a great result.
Success often begets success, and Dugandzic felt that adage certainly proved true in the case of Aziz Behich, who produced a stunning right footed effort seal the match in its dying stages.
With Behich-s strike proving his first at Hyundai A-League level, Dugandzic felt the effort was evidence of the confidence which infused throughout the team following Fred-s opener.
“Aziz scored a fantastic goal, nine times out of ten on his right foot you wouldn’t back him to put it in the top right corner, but he did,” he said.
“But today everyone contributed. We did create chances but didn’t really take our half chances, today we were able to do that.”
Dugandzic certainly proved himself to be among Heart-s most telling contributors, playing his customary star role as he produced a man of the match display, netting one goal and forcing Ben Kennedy into a stellar save to deprive him of a second.
The 22-year-old has been rewarded for his recent form with selection to the Australian Under 23s for their upcoming London Olympic qualifiers, joining Behich and Jason Hoffman in the squad.
