IT was the not the kind of debut Brendan Gan wanted but the naturalised Malaysian midfielder is determined to set things right in tomorrow’s crucial Group A Asian Games match against Laos.
Australia-born Brendan cut a dejected figure when his misplaced back-pass was snapped up by Kim Seung-Dae to complete South Korea’s 3-0 win over Malaysia in Incheon on Sunday.
Brendan and Junior Eldstal’s midfield partnership showed promise, especially in the first half, when they limited the Korean midfield’s ability to set up striker Kim Shin-Wook to score.
But all the hard work went down the drain after Brendan’s 82nd-minute mistake.
“It was a bit mixed for me,” said former Sydney FC player Brendan, 26, who received his citizenship earlier this year to be eligible to play for Kelantan and the country.
“Our plan was to absorb the pressure and try to create a few chances and get a goal.
“We did okay in the first half to absorb the pressure but Korea are a good team who can pass the ball well and stay compact.
“We had a lapse of concentration in the second half but it’s not an excuse. It (the error) happened and there’s nothing you can do about it now.
“We’ve still got a good chance (to advance). We’ve got to stick to the plan and stay compact. We’ve got to put this out of the mind because we’ve got the players to do the job.”
Brendan, one of three overaged players in the squad, also felt that national captain Aidil Zafuan Radzak’s absence on Sunday did not have a huge bearing on the result.
“It’s a team sport and nothing to do with individuals,” said Brendan, who played for Sabah in 2012.
“Credit to the boys at the back, they’re great players. We have depth in the squad and these players would not be here if they were not good enough. We are now just looking towards a good team performance.”
Amer Saidin filled in for Aidil to partner Fadhli Shas and may have done enough to be retained for the match against Laos.
Even South Korea coach Lee Kwang-Jong had praise for the Malaysian defenders, to the point of criticising his own striker Shin-Wook.
“Malaysia have a strong defensive line,” he said. “Because of this, we didn’t have many chances to score.
“We wanted to score from set-pieces, which we did. The first half was not good enough. We won because our physical condition was better than Malaysia.”