Melbourne Victory coach Ange Postecoglou speaks with Liverpool manager Brendan Rogers after the match. Picture: George Salpigtidis Source: George Salpigtidis / HeraldSun
MELBOURNE Victory coach Ange Postecoglou said he could not be prouder of his team's efforts against English giant Liverpool at the MCG.
Postecoglou was undeterred by the 2-0 defeat, saying he was "super proud" of the effort his team put in.
"We had a ridiculously young team out there but we played some really good football and played the game in the right manner," Postecoglou said.
"It was a massive occasion and I think more experienced heads would have lost their nerve, but the young boys -- and the older boys that we had in the team -- were all fantastic."
Youngsters Connor Pain and Andrew Nabbout were standouts for the hosts, providing a constant menace for Liverpool's wide defenders.
Pain will Thursday fly to South Korea where, along with goalkeeper Nathan Coe, he will rejoin the Socceroos' East Asian Cup squad.
A year ago he was playing state league second division for Malvern City and Wednesday night he had Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers singling him out for praise after the game.
Pain said the whole situation was surreal.
"Brendan just said, 'Well done', and that the team played well. He seemed like a nice guy," Pain said.
"The whole game was unbelievable, 95,000 people at the MCG. I couldn't ask for anything more, the boys are all buzzing."
Victory has 79 days until its A-League season-opener against Melbourne Heart.
Postecoglou said his players had to channel the enthusiasm and experience generated from Wednesday night's game in to the remainder of their pre-season.
"You have to," Postecoglou said.
"The boys will now understand that they can do it, that they can do it on the big stage and that's what we want, we want to keep developing as a football club.
"And when the first round comes around it'll be a sold out crowd at Etihad Stadium and big expectations again. They'll grow from tonight."
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