Park Hang-seo: Vietnam to prepare immediately for match against Thailand

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Vietnam head coach Park Hang-seo speaks at the press conference after the match against the UAE on November 14. Photo: NDO/Tran Hai

He also gave special praise to the amazing displays of forward Nguyen Tien Linh and midfielder Nguyen Tuan Anh, after his side edged past the United Arab Emirates (UAE) 1-0 at home in the World Cup qualifiers.

Having lost Khalifa Al Hammadi, who was shown a straight red card in the 40^th minute, the 10-man UAE side could not prevent the hosts from dominating possession and clinching the full three points thanks to a brilliant right-footed strike from outside the box by Tien Linh on the stroke of halftime.

Addressing a press conference after the match, Park showed his satisfaction with the result. However, the Republic of Korea tactician still kept the Vietnamese players grounded, stating that they had only made it halfway, with four more matches still to go.

“There are four matches remaining, so it is still a long journey for us to go. In the next few days, Vietnam will play a crucial clash against tough opponents Thailand. We will soon forget the victory over the UAE, and will resume training immediately to prepare for the Thailand meeting,” he told reporters.

Commenting on the display of the Vietnamese squad against the UAE, Park said: “Everyone knows the significance of this match. A win over the UAE would lift Vietnam to top of the group. Therefore, all the players exerted great attempts, and the achieved result was attributed to the joint efforts of the whole team, not a single individual.”

The coach congratulated Tien Linh on his brilliant showing throughout the game.

“As for Tien Linh, it was not the first time he produced such a feat. He also got on the scoresheet in the previous match against Indonesia. Tien Linh is one of the most promising young forwards in Vietnam at present. After the Indonesia game, he moved to training with Vietnam U22s in preparation for the 30th SEA Games. I only called up him to the national team recently. Tien Linh lived up to my expectations. Congratulations to him.”

Nguyen Tuan Anh (in red) is one of the most impressive Vietnamese players during the Thursday match against the UAE. Source: NDO

Park also gave praise to midfielder Nguyen Tuan Anh, one of the most impressive Vietnamese players during the Thursday match.

“I followed Tuan Anh’s matches in the past and realised that he is a talent. Whenever the national team convene, I would always like to summon Tuan Anh, but unfortunately has he often suffered injuries. I played no part in Tuan Anh’s revival. Tuan Anh himself has real talent and a strong will as well. Many other people have helped Tuan Anh, not just me.”

When asked about his feeling regarding Thailand’s defeat against Malaysia, Park said he was not so surprised, because Malaysia were not a weak team and they were definitely capable of thrashing Thailand.

Despite being disappointed by the result, UAE coach Bert van Marwijk said he was still content with the way his players had performed.

The Dutch tactician highly appreciated the Vietnamese side, stating that Park’s troops have a great chance to go further.

“Vietnam were a qualified team. I like their tight and sharp playstyle. They possess excellent players and an impressive competing system. We had been very confident ahead of the match, but the result did not meet our expectations.”

With this result, Vietnam lead Group G with 10 points after four matches while Malaysia beat Thailand 2-1 in Kuala Lumpur the same day.

Newspapers of the Republic of Korea (RoK) praised Vietnam’s victory against the UAE.

The Chosun Ilbo newspaper ran an article titled “Park Hang-seo helps Vietnam defeat UAE 1-0”, commenting on the changes in Vietnam’s line-up for the match.

Meanwhile, the Hankook Ilbo newspaper commended Tien Linh, noting that the Vietnamese forward landed a brilliant shot from almost 32 metres which left the UAE’s goalkeeper with no chance.

Sport Seoul and SpoTV News said Vietnam are inching closer to the third round of the qualifiers. If they retain their lead, Vietnam will make history for winning a slot in the World Cup’s third qualifying round for the first time.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) earlier said the match between Vietnam and the higher-ranked UAE is among “six matches to watch out for” in the Asian qualifiers of the day.

Vietnam earlier defeated Indonesia and Malaysia, and drew with Thailand in Group G.

Vietnam will face Thailand in Hanoi on November 19./.