Kurto: The future is bright, we can achieve more
Winning his second Australia Cup trophy was just half of the brilliant day out Macarthur goalkeeper Filip Kurto had on Sunday.
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After yet another top performance between the sticks, he became the first ever goalkeeper to win the Mark Viduka Medal in the Australia Cup Final.
Speaking after the match, he said: “It's a great feeling, we played very, very good in defence tonight, we sacrificed a lot in this game, and I think we deserve this achievement.”
In the Quarter Final, Semi Final and the Final, Kurto conceded zero goals and racked up a total of 15 saves in all three of those matches.
In the final itself, he recorded six stops, several top saves, and was crucial in keeping his side in front and getting their hands on the trophy.
Staying as humble as ever, he said it is a team achievement, and if the team continues playing like this, he feels there is a strong season ahead.
“I think it's not only about me, rather it's about the whole team, we're coming into this season with a good achievement, a great achievement even, winning the cup, we are full of confidence,” he said.
“I know we can achieve even more, before the season we said to each other, we want to win everything, and I truly believe that it's in our hands now.”
The Macarthur squad was full of experience, and it showed in the final and, as Kurto said in Cup runs, sometimes you need to work hard for gritty results, which is something his team did throughout.
“I think it's how the Australia Cup can be, it's about the results, and sometimes it's tough and if you win 1-0, you take it regardless, whatever it takes,” he said.
“It doesn’t matter what happens on the pitch, if it was a good performance or a bad performance, it doesn't matter, you go out there and, in the end, we finished with the trophy.”
This triumph in the Australia Cup is a far cry from the off-field drama that Macarthur FC has endured over recent months, and Kurto said it is time now to look ahead, using the cup win as the start of a bright future.
He said: “We want to leave it all behind us and focus on the future, and I believe, and I know the future of the club is bright.”
