Madan winner ‘a split-second decision’

TDT | Manama                                                     

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain’s Ali Madan said that it was a quick reaction to the moment that led to his game-winning goal in the national team’s dramatic 1-0 triumph against Malaysia in the AFC Asian Cup on Saturday.

Madan fired in the winner in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time, earning the Bahrainis their first three points of the tournament and keeping their hopes of advancing to the knockout stages alive.

“I’m used to taking such shots in a game, so when I saw the ball, I had a choice to pass or take a shot and I had to make a decision in that split second and was fortunate to score,” Madan, who was named the Player of the Match, was quoted as saying in his post-game Press conference.

“It’s spectacular to score, especially at such a crucial time. We won the game, even though it took a late goal.

I want to dedicate this goal to my family.” The star midfielder added: “The Malaysian team played well.They have some good players who are quick and they managed to slow us down. This win will surely help us prepare for the game against Jordan.”

Effort Meanwhile, head coach Juan Antonio Pizzi was pleased with his players’ effort and called for a similar showing in their final group fixture against the Jordanians later this week with a berth in the round of 16 on the line.

“We exerted great effort throughout the match and although we tried, we managed to score only in the last minute,” Pizzi explained.

“Ideally, we should have capitalised on opportunities in the first half “Winning in the final minutes was well deserved, thanks to our players who created numerous chances.”

Bahrain are currently third on the Group E standings with three points from their lone victory so far, which followed a 1-3 loss to continental giants South Korea earlier last week.

The South Koreans and Jordan top the group, with the Jordanians occupying first place on goal difference.

Malaysia are bottom of the table following their second straight loss.

“We anticipated a challenging game and understood that crucial moments could occur early or mid-match,” Pizzi said. “We must produce a similar effort against Jordan.”