Adelaide United coach Marco Kurz is taking his team's rusty pre-season form for what it is - a by-product of the magic of the FFA Cup.
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The Reds were outplayed and outworked on Wednesday night by Queensland NPL premiers Lions FC but scraped through with a 1-0 win to reach the quarter-finals of the knockout tournament.
Their next assignment is APIA Leichhardt, the team who stunned A-League champions Melbourne Victory last week.
Kurz admitted Adelaide were "lucky" to progress, having seen off a plucky challenge from Lions courtesy of a first-half goal from Craig Goodwin at Brisbane's Perry Park on Wednesday night.
But he is viewing the performance in proper context - United are still very much in the throes of pre-season, while their opponents were adrenaline-charged, pressure-free and looking to vault themselves into the national spotlight.
"I saw two weeks ago in the German Cup, Bayern Munich beat a team from the fifth division 1-0 in the last minutes," Kurz said.
"That's the cup.
"That's the game of the year for the young boys from the Lions and they did it very well.
"They were the better team ... from the first second (they) were the sharper team, they were more aggressive in the duels.
"But that's football. We scored one goal more and we are the lucky winner."
Kurz said he didn't watch APIA's shock 3-2 win over Victory, but will no doubt be reviewing the tape thoroughly to make sure his side don't suffer the same fate against the former National Soccer League champions.
Melbourne-based Avondale FC will also be on the hunt for a big scalp of their own after drawing FFA Cup holders Sydney FC in the quarter-finals.
There will be at least one Victorian NPL outfit in the semis, with Bentleigh Greens to host Heidelberg United, while Melbourne City landed a home tie against Western Sydney Wanderers.
FFA CUP QUARTER FINALS
Wednesday 19 September
Avondale FC v Sydney FC - ABD Stadium, Broadmeadows (Melbourne)*
Melbourne City v Western Sydney - AAMI Park, Melbourne
Wednesday 26 September
APIA Leichhardt v Adelaide United - Leichhardt Oval, Leichhardt (Sydney)*
Bentleigh Greens v Heidelberg United - Kingston Heath Soccer Complex, Cheltenham (Melbourne)
* Denotes broadcast match.
Australian Associated Press
