United’s Asian fairytale can continue, says Vidmar

Adelaide United coach Aurelio Vidmar says there is no reason his club’s Asian fairy tale can’t continue. The Reds coach describes tomorrow night’s Asian Champions League (ACL) semi-final against Uzbekistan’s Bunyodkor on United’s home turf as “a massive game” for the club.

Adelaide enters the first leg of the two semi-final fixtures against the Rivaldo-inspired Uzbeks as underdogs, a status Vidmar is accustomed to.

Vidmar said nobody expected Adelaide to progress past the group stage of the lucrative ACL, which pits the best Asian clubs against each other and offers a $1.6 million winner’s cheque.

Having progressed, United was given scant hope of defeating Japanese champions Kashima Antlers in the quarter-finals - but they did.

“The playing group has got a fantastic belief and a fantastic hunger, they want to achieve things,” Vidmar said today.

“It’s not easy - this is the first time we have gone through this period of competing on two fronts, the local competition and the Asian Champions League.

“There is a lot of travelling, there is a lot of games in such a short period but the boys just roll up their sleeves and get the job done.

“We are in the semi-finals, that is a massive achievement for the club, for the players, but why should it stop there?”

Vidmar said Adelaide advanced the hard way, being unable to compete financially with their wealthier Asian opponents such as Bunyodkor.

The Uzbeks flew to Adelaide in a chartered plane, are coached by Brazilian legend Zico and boast Rivaldo, the Brazilian World Cup winner whose multi-million dollar contract surpasses Adelaide’s entire annual player salary.

“We just can’t compete financially,” Vidmar said.

“Have a look at the amount of players they (Bunyodkor) have got - their 30 players, their second XI could go in and do a good job.

“They get a chartered flight and we’re struggling to get Qantas to get out of the terminal.

“It’s extremely hard and that is why it makes it so much sweeter for us.

“We have had to do it the hard way and that is why I am extremely proud of how the players go about it - whatever gets thrown in their face, they deal with it.”

Dealing with Rivaldo is the latest challenge for United, who have yet to settle on a replacement for suspended defender Sasa Ognenovski.

“We know how much of a great player he (Rivaldo) is … he takes pressure off other players (but) there certainly won’t be anyone going out to man mark him,” Vidmar said.

Adelaide travels to Tashkent for the last leg of the semi-final on October 22.

The victors play the winner of the other semi-final between Japanese clubs Urawa Red Diamonds and Gamba Osaka, with the final contested on November 5 and 12.

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