DOHA: It's like a dream.
Forward Romel Morales, who was granted Malaysian citizenship a few months ago, received the highest recognition on Thursday for scoring a stoppage-time equaliser in a dramatic 3-3 draw against No. 23 South Korea in an Asian Cup Group E match at Al Janoub Stadium here.
The 26-year-old was brought on in the 90th minute as a substitute for Brendan Gan, and 15 minutes into stoppage time, he scored the equaliser off a Paulo Josue pass.
It proves that Morales' inclusion for the Asian Cup was a masterstroke by national coach Kim Pan Gon.
The Colombian-Malaysian thanked the coaching staff for trusting him and giving him the opportunity to play in the Asian Cup.
"This is my first appearance with Malaysia and playing is the Asian Cup is something special. Since arriving here in Qatar, we knew it would be tough," said Morales.
"I had to adapt quickly, so I tried to give it my best.
"I am happy to have made the nation proud. We've been working hard since the competition started, and we had a rough start.
"But in the end, we will continue to fight and now we gained a positive result for Malaysians."
However, the draw came too late as Malaysia had lost to Jordan (4-0) and Bahrain (1-0) in earlier matches.