It did not take long for Brendan Gan to star for his new club Selangor; his assist and late goal helping them edge Pahang 1-0 on Saturday.
BY ZULHILMI ZAINAL Follow on Twitter
Although Brendan Gan's competitive debut for Selangor, in their round one Super League match away to Pahang, ended in a 2-1 win with him assisting their first goal and netting a late winner, he was quick to admit that his side did not play to the best of their abilities.
In the match that was held at the Darul Makmur Stadium, Ifedayo Olusegun's equaliser in the 27th minute cancelled out Ivan Carlos' 20th-minute opener. But the Red Giants struggled to control the game in the second half, their defence in constant disarray, custodian Khairulazhan Khalid their saviour with his heroics. With one minute remaining on the clock, Gan showed why the club were eager to sign him in the pre-season, the midfielder beating two defenders with a cutback before smashing the ball in past Sharbinee Allawee's grasp for a sensational win.
Pahang vs Selangor match highlights
Interviewed by the match broadcaster after the final whistle, the 31-year old player was honest in his assessment of the Red Giants' game.
"I don't think we played that well, to be honest. Pahang were playing long balls a lot on the strengths of Dickson [Nwakaeme] and Carlos.
"We fought well, I think that's what we did really well tonight. We tried to get the second balls and made runs forward, and in the end the runs got us the goal and I'm quite happy with that," explained the former Sydney FC, Sabah, Kelantan and Perak man.
He also revealed that his assist, an almost exact duplicate of the one he made to Mohamadou Sumareh while playing for Malaysia in their win against Thailand last year, was actually intended as a one-two pass.
Sumareh, who plays for Pahang, was not listed on Saturday because of an injury.
"I did not think I would have that much time; I looked over my shoulder and they (Pahang defence) were not pressing me. I saw Dayo standing there in a prime position and I thought he was gonna give it back as a one-two!
"But he finished the chance well, and that's all we can ask from him at the end of the day," he told the interviewer, former Malaysia international Syed Adney Syed Hussein.
Asked about the winning goal, this is his reply.
"I was definitely tired, I can't deny that. I couldn't breathe well. But at the end of the day you've got 90 minutes to play and if the coach doesn't take you off, you've got to give it your all.
"Everyone out there gave our 100 per cent and we'll take a lot of lessons from that for our next game."
Their next game is on March 7, Saturday, against Gan's former club Perak.
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'It was a one-two pass to Ifedayo!' - Gan on starring debut for Selangor
'It was a one-two pass to Ifedayo!' - Gan on starring debut for Selangor
