AL RAYYAN, Qatar: Bahrain midfielder Ali Madan has dedicated his winning goal against Malaysia during their second 2023 Asian Cup Group E match to his family and loyal Bahrain fans.
The 28-year-old Ajman club player became Bahrain's hero with his injury-time goal - the only goal of the match - to secure his country's first win of the tournament, allowing them a shot at qualifying for the second round as they take on Jordan in the last group match this Thursday.
"It's such as a spectacular moment to score in the last minute with such pressure and I would like to dedicate this goal to my mom and dad, my wife, my kid and the public," he told a post-match press conference here.
The goal is his first in Asian Cup competition following his debut in the last edition.
Meanwhile, Bahrain head coach Juan Antonio Pizzi felt that his team deserved their 1-0 victory, pointing out that the last-gasp goal was due to his charges' ability to retain their focus throughout the match, allowing them to create the opportunity they needed to break the deadlock.
"We won at the very last minute but it was not luck, we deserved to win, great effort and we created much chances but can't score earlier. We knew it's going to be a difficult game, and this is happened, we deserved to win," said the 55-year-old coach. — BERNAMA