Madagascar midfielder Andriamirado Aro Hasina is in awe following his TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) Man of the Match Award following his side's 1-0 victory over Niger in the third place playoff on Friday at the Miloud Hadefi Stadium in Oran.
Hasina who is commonly known as Dax was exceptional on the night as the Barea earned bronze medals on their debut appearance at the continental championship.
"I am very excited about this award. I salute my teammates for all their work done not just today but throughout the whole tournament. We have made our country proud, and we want to thank everyone that has been behind this success," Dax told the media in the post-match press conference.
For Dax and his teammates, this historic feat has earned them a direct phone call from Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina who spoke to the team after the full-time whistle to thank them for making Madagascar proud.
Dax was visibly excited after the phone call and almost lost his voice in celebration but managed to tell CAFOnline that, "This means so much to us as players and we are very happy that we made our country proud. It is a big day in Madagascar. We have made our fans proud, and we shall continue to work hard."
Madagascar scored nine goals in five games conceding thrice on their journey to finishing third at the 18-team continental competition organized for players that ply their trade in their domestic leagues.