“He said, ‘we’re not losing’. They’ve just come from behind and they think they’ve won it. They were celebrating like they’ve won it," Sainsbury said of the pep talk on the pitch before extra time.
It was classic Postecoglou, who rallied the troops to help them storm home to a 2-1 victory in extra time.
After Korea’s 91st minute equaliser – and wild celebrations – it looked like momentum was with the Taeguk Warriors at 1-1 going into extra time.
In an epic decider, substitute James Troisi struck a golden-goal in the 105th minute, blasting home from close range after Kim Jin Hyeon spilled Tomi Juric’s cross into his path.
“It was pretty heartbreaking,” he said of the Korea Republic goal.
“But at the same time it created a bigger spectacle for football in Australia and Asia.
“We just had to regroup,” Sainsbury said of extra time.
“They made some substitutions but they couldn’t reshape after that so we took advantage.”
And Sainsbury paid tribute to the almost 77,000 crowd at Stadium Australia after Australia’s thrilling 2-1 extra time win over Korea Republic in the Asian Cup final.
Sainsbury, awarded the man of the match for another composed performance in central defence, said playing at home in front of a vocal home support was key.
“It’s a massive relief – there was a lot of weight on Australian players shoulders today. And the crowd got us over the line I think,” the West Australian said.
Asked about the man of the match performance and the 23-year-old paid tribute to the “family” around him, deflecting any tributes to the Socceroos around him.
“It’s a nice personal touch but I wouldn’t be able to do it without the boys around me. We’re a unit, we’re a family so I can’t thank them enough.”
Sainsbury, who plays for PEC Zwolle in the Dutch Eredivisie, has enjoyed an outstanding tournament. His reading of the game and distribution have been excellent. He even scored in the semi final win over UAE.
Some would say he has finally solved the problem in central defence alongside Matt Spiranovic.
“I’d like to think so but at the same time Ange always impresses the fact that you never know when your last game of your country is going to be," he added.
“So you have to give 100% and that’s what the boys did today."
And like Mat Ryan, the late equaliser brought back some stinging memories for Sainsbury.
“It was like Central Coast Mariners versus Brisbane Roar all over the again,” he said with a laugh, referring to the infamous 2011 A-League Grand Final comeback victory for Roar, ironically coached that day by Ange Postecoglou.