Football Federation Australia CEO Ben Buckley has lauded the efforts of Adelaide United in the Asian Champions League. Although the Reds lost 5-0 on aggregate on the two-legged final, Buckley says the Australian football community should be proud of their achievements.

"Even though Adelaide was beaten by Gamba Osaka, it's a fantastic achievement for a club from the Hyundai A-League to get this far in just the second year of participating in the competition," said Buckley.

"The players, the coaching and other staff have all done themselves proud and helped put the Hyundai A-League competition on the AFC 'map'.

"They have also been terrific ambassadors for football in Australia, as well as great representatives of Australia everywhere they've visited.

"None of us underestimate the achievement and congratulate Aurelio Vidmar, the management of Adelaide United, and the players and other staff.

"Hindmarsh Stadium was awash in a sea of red, and the level of support from the people of Adelaide throughout the AFC Champions League campaign shows the strength of the code in Adelaide."