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Defiant Ante Palaversa insists Celtic drubbing was NEVER going to end 'amazing feeling' behind Aberdeen's surge
Ante Palaversa never doubted that Aberdeen would bounce back in the right way after their Hampden hammering.
The classy Croat set the ball rolling with the opening goal in this 4-1 demolition of Dundee. All eyes were on the Dons and Jimmy Thelin after they crashed to their first defeat in the 6-1 thumping by Celtic in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final. They reacted as they have all season by extending their unbeaten Premiership run and keeping themselves at the top end of the table. Palaversa, who came in for the ill Sivert Nilsen, stated: “It was just about sticking together and how we deal with that pushing forward.
“I didn’t detect any doubt about doing that and I think we showed that in the second half against Dundee. It was an amazing feeling and of course you are always happy when you score. But without my teammates and our overall performance in the game I don’t score the goal.
“Even after my goal we keep pushing for more so it is all about the team. We go game-by-game and in this one we were really focussed on proving we can make ourselves better.
“The game against Celtic we didn’t play well but we showed that against Dundee. Especially the second half, we showed the right spirit to go on and win the match.”
The outcome of this game could have been so different had Dons keeper Dimitar Mitov not saved Simon Murray’s first half penalty. Palaversa admitted: ”It was amazing when Dimi saved the penalty and he is an important part of this result.
“That got us into the dressing room level and we talked about it, it was important to change things. We did that and I think we did quite well in the second half.”
Palaversa fired in the first, after a corner was half-cleared and Topi Keskinen cashed in some poor defending to net the second. Simon Murray got Dundee back in it when he headed in a Scott Tiffoney cross. Sub Kevin Nisbet caught Dundee sleeping with a free kick that allowed fellow replacement Vicente Besuijen to net second. Nisbet then wrapped it up with a deflected shot in stoppage time.
That was Palaversa’s second goal after his earlier winner against Hearts. He arrived from Troyes and Aberdeen has an option to trigger an extension before then.
He stated: “I’m working hard in training every day and I’m feeling very good but it’s all about team spirit. But I’m just grateful to be here because when I look back to where I was, it was a bad situation.
“That’s why I’m happy here in this club and in this moment but we just go game-by-game of course.
“I’m just focused on training and games right now and proving that I can play at this level. I’m trying to develop myself and keep pushing forward with every game that I play.”
Aberdeen had four different scorers and it is very much a squad game. That has been shown with the impact that Thelin’s have made and it was the same in this game. Palaversa acknowledged that it is pushing the levels internally.
He claimed: ”The competition for places brings out the best in everybody. We keep pushing each other in training so there is also a chance someone is better. We have to see who is best and who plays in the games.”
The playmaker’s pedigree is there for all to see as Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City paid £7 million to sign him. The 24-year-old has never hidden his desire to get back to that level. He also hopes to go all the way and to break into the Croatian national team, having already represented them at every other level. Palaversa will have to make do with watching Croatia against Scotland, who will be able to call on his Scotland team mate Nicky Devlin.
“I’m going to watch that game and we saw last month in Croatia that Scotland is a tough team,” he predicted. “This should be another good game and I wish both the teams luck in that one.
“It’s amazing for Nicky to be in the squad as playing for the national team is the biggest success in football. That was my dream when I was younger and there are a couple of I played with at youth level in the Croatia squad.
“It would be good to do that myself sometime but I still have to prove a lot more at Aberdeen. I don’t think I am something else here, I know if the team doesn’t play good then I don’t play good either.”
