Defending Cong Phuong, Coach Park had a war of words with Myanmar coach
Coach Park Hang-seo argued fiercely with his colleague Antoine Hey during the 0-0 draw between Vietnam and Myanmar at the AFF Cup on the evening of November 20.
The incident happened in the second half of the first half, at Thuwunna Stadium. After a dispute, Cong Phuong and Thu Aung rushed to the touchline. They both stood up and shook hands.
Suddenly, coach Hey rushed over to yell at Cong Phuong and asked the referee to card the Vietnamese striker.
From the home team's command area, Coach Park Hang-seo immediately rushed in and loudly protested against the Myanmar coach to protect Cong Phuong. The two sides exchanged harsh words.
The fourth referee had to run in to stop them, asking the two coaches to return to their team's area.
This tension partly reflected the developments on the field. Vietnam played better, created more chances, but could not capitalize on them. On the other hand, with the support of nearly 30,000 spectators, Myanmar played fiercely, also had some formidable responses.
However, the refereeing is the real issue. In 50-50 situations, Vietnam often suffers a disadvantage. A typical example is the situation where Van Toan scored a goal against Myanmar but was unfairly penalized for offside. In the situations where Cong Phuong or Van Hau fell, the referee also did not award a penalty. Before that, when Vietnam was attacking, the main referee did not allow the advantage but blew the whistle, requesting a temporary stop to the match.
After the match ended 0-0, coach Antoine Hey went to Vietnam's technical area to shake hands with the players and coaching staff.
Still angry or regretful about only getting one point, Coach Park Hang-seo avoided the situation. He stood on the sidelines, waiting for the German coach to leave before returning.
Keeping politeness in mind, Vietnam's coach then sent midfielder Que Ngoc Hai - who wore the captain's armband when the match ended - to shake hands with coach Hey.
With one point in this match, Myanmar continues to top Group A. They have the same 7 points and a goal difference of +5 as Vietnam, but have a better number of goals.
In the final match, Myanmar will visit Malaysia with the goal of winning at least one point.
Coach Park was not satisfied with this result even though his students played tenaciously and created many opportunities, despite the pressure on the field as well as in the stands. He stayed on the field for a long time, and was the last member of the Vietnam team to leave.
In the final match of the group stage on November 24, Vietnam will meet Cambodia at home at Hang Day Stadium. Three points will help coach Park Hang-seo and his team advance, regardless of the remaining results.
