KUALA LUMPUR: Dion Cools may be the Man of the Match in Malaysia's 4-3 win over Kyrgyzstan in a World Cup qualifier, but captain Matthew Davies feels that Arif Aiman Hanapi should share the accolades too.
Though Cools bagged two goals, 21-year-old winger Arif had a hand in all four goals for Harimau Malaya, including Kyrgyzstan's Khristiian Brauzman's own goal at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Thursday.
"I'm super proud of the boys to be able to come back to 4-3, which is fantastic and special mentions to Arif and Cools who were incredible," said Matthew.
Matthew admitted that his team were deservedly on the receiving end of coach Kim Pan Gon's wrath during halftime after Harimau Malaya threw away a 1-0 lead to trail 2-1, and later conceded another.
"But it's okay. We accepted that (Pan Gon's scolding) because we probably deserved it," said Matthew.
"I think he (Pan Gon) decided not to make any tactical changes and just pointed out that we have the quality to do this. We have to show heart and character to get the job done."
And after the hairdryer treatment from Pan Gon, the Malaysian team staged a magnificent rally to pull off an upset win over world No. 97 Kyrgyzstan.
Arif admitted that the team were complacent, and this led them to conceding two goals in the 42nd and 44th minutes.
"We played well for the first 30 minutes, then we got complacent and they scored two goals. But we didn't give up. We did our best to get the three goals to win," said Arif.
On his game, Arif, who is known for his close ball control, said: "I play in an attacking position. I can't play in other positions because dribbling is part of me and without it, I won't have anything to show for on the pitch."