Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Brisbane: China goalkeeper Wang Dalei celebrated a 26th birthday he won't forget after being named Man of the Match following his team's 1-0 win against Saudi Arabia in their AFC Asian Cup opener on Saturday.
The tide appeared to turn in Saudi Arabia's favour in the 60th minute, when Naif Hazazi was brought down in the penalty area by Ren Hang. Hazazi stepped up to the spot but was foiled by Wang, who parried the ball wide to maintain the even scoreline.
Twenty minutes later, China went ahead for good through Yu Hai's deflected free-kick. Wang had already bought himself a pair of shoes as a birthday gift a few days ago, but the penalty save was an even bigger present.
"Before the match I got a lot of courage from my coach," said the Shandong Luneng custodian. "I remember a journalist asked me if I was ready for the tournament and I told him the match on January 10 will tell. Of course, we were lucky but I'd like to congratulate my coach and my brothers.
"Two days ago, I went to a sports gear shop and bought (myself) a pair of shoes as a gift. I'm very happy to win the match but during the game, I didn't have feelings about anything. I was just focused on the match."
China coach Alain Perrin - who said the team had a gift for their ‘keeper but stopped short of saying what it was - was content not just with Wang, but his side's overall performance.
The three points have put China on course for the knockout stages, which they have not reached since the 2004 event they hosted. China face Uzbekistan in a top-of-the-table Group B clash on Wednesday in Brisbane.
"Of course, we will prepare something for our ‘keeper but we will keep it a secret," said Perrin. "But today belongs to Wang Dalei.
"For me, I had no huge regrets about the match. I'm definitely satisfied with our defending. We faced a lot of pressure from our opponents but we never let in a goal.
"The match was difficult for us but we also got a lot of joy from the match. We put in a lot of time for this tournament, which was difficult. Every team goes through times when they are in good condition and bad condition.
"But our ‘keeper did really well. We are moving forward as a team, step by step."
Photo: WSG