Bogor: Becamex Binh Duong forward Victor Mansaray insisted that doing the club justice was his main motivating factor as the V.League side secured passage to the 2019 AFC Cup ASEAN Zonal Final after an away goals win over PSM Makassar.
Visitors Binh Duong came into Wednesday's return fixture with a one goal advantage from the first leg in Vietnam and opened the scoring in Indonesia after Wander Luiz looped in a header for his fifth goal of the campaign just before half-time.
Makassar came roaring back in the second half, though, and an own-goal from Binh Duong's Ho Tan Tai followed by Aaron Evan's late strike three minutes before the end ensured a frantic finish.
However, the Vietnamese club were able to hold out and secure a place in the final phase of the ASEAN section of the AFC Cup tournament, advancing on the away goals after a 2-2 aggregate score.
It was a result and performance that came from a place of particular pride for Binh Duong's Sierra Leone-born American.
"This was for Binh Duong, this was for the badge on the shirt," said Mansaray. "We came out here, we did what we had to do.
"We stuck to the game plan, we defended as a unit and I'm happy we got the win.
ASEAN Zonal Semi-finals: PSM Makassar v Becamex Binh Duong
"It was not an easy game, it was a tough match. They turned up the tempo in the second half, they had some dangerous attacks.
"But we stayed compact and we were able to get the result that took us into the ASEAN Zonal final."
With a place in the Inter-Zone Semi-finals available to the winners, the ASEAN Zonal Final is scheduled to take place over two legs on July 31 and August 7.
ASEAN Zonal Semi-finals: Hanoi FC v Ceres Negros FC
And Binh Duong's opponents will be a very familiar foe: fellow V.League side Hanoi FC who defeated two-time ASEAN Zonal finalists Ceres Negros on Tuesday.
"Hanoi FC are a team we're obviously familiar with," said Mansaray. "In fact, they are our arch-rivals in the V.League.
"We'll go back home, make some adjustments and get ready for them in the ASEAN Zone final."
Source: the-afc.com