U23 Vietnam players crave their mother's home-cooked meals

After the victory at the U-23 Asian Cup, Coach Park Hang-seo and his team were overwhelmed by the warm welcome from all walks of life. It has been more than two days since returning from China, and many players have been busy with receptions, socializing, sharing joy, and celebrations, but have not been able to return home.

“Mom is my everything!”

After the Asian tournament, the HA Gia Lai players only had one week off, but they spent half a week "running around" to meetings and exchanges, not daring to refuse. Remembering the whole time sitting on the parade bus from noon to evening, captain Xuan Truong smiled and said that he and his teammates had not eaten anything since morning. Many players humorously said that on the way, the locals must have known that everyone was hungry, so they threw food on the bus. The brothers shared and ate voraciously, having fun like Tet. There was also a player who jokingly told a funny story about a double-decker bus that traveled dozens of kilometers in five hours, causing many players to think of a way to "pour out their feelings". The players told the story and laughed loudly, but made them promise not to "reveal" the part about "solving in an emergency situation".

Midfielder Quang Hai still trembles when he remembers the welcoming scene from the moment he landed at Noi Bai airport and then moved meter by meter through the dense forest of fans. This young player revealed that he had mentally prepared for the joy but did not expect such a large number of people to welcome him. Hugs, scratches, pinching, holding, pulling, and tugging until his shirt was torn, his arms and legs were bruised... but the boy still smiled with joy.

Someone asked Quang Hai what he was looking forward to the most, the Hanoi striker said without any hesitation: "I miss a meal cooked by my mother!" And it's true, since meeting his parents at the VIP lobby of Noi Bai airport, Hai had to follow the team to perform all the rituals and ceremonies, so he really looked forward to an intimate meal with his family.

Phan Van Duc and Xuan Manh are from Nghe An, center back Bui Tien Dung is from Ha Tinh, they got off the plane, without anyone telling them, they all looked around frantically to find their relatives. Xuan Manh saw his mother through the bus window, as soon as the bus stopped, he ran to hug his mother, hesitantly holding a gift from the countryside for his youngest son.

Xuan Manh wrote: “Don’t cry anymore, Mom! Because your life has been full of hardships. Now, be happy because you still have me as your strong spiritual support. And you are also the biggest motivation to help me overcome the most tiring times. Mom and Dad, please be happy. Now you can be proud of your son. I love you very much!”

Teammate Van Duc was bewildered in the midst of the noisy crowd, squeezing his way through the crowd with a bouquet of flowers to hug the mother from the countryside who came to welcome his son. The young midfielder choked up: "I don't need anyone else, just my mother is enough. I love my mother so much, the person who makes me strive and try. My mother is my everything!"

Many tears fell as Phan Van Duc, the silent hero of the U-23 Vietnam team (VN), scored a beautiful goal in the quarter-final match and suddenly felt sad when he was accidentally forgotten in the bustling crowd.

“Please don't call my son a hero!”

Goalkeeper Tien Dung and midfielder Tien Dung said they have not been home for several months, since they finished playing with the team and then joined the U-23 team. Every night, the two brothers call their parents in the poor hometown of Ngoc Lac (Thanh Hoa) to ease their homesickness. After arriving in Hanoi for two days, the two brothers only saw their mother for a bit when they were picked up at the airport, then followed the team to socialize and meet constantly.

Mr. Nguyen Cong Bay, Cong Phuong's father, said January 21 is his son's birthday. When he was young, his poor parents never had the money to celebrate his birthday. Now, if they want him to be happy on his birthday, he is always away. Mr. Bay shared: "After the quarter-final match, my wife and I called him many times but there was no signal. My parents just wanted to say a few words to ask about his health and encourage him to play better. On his birthday, we also want to wish him a good appetite and to grow up quickly."

During the time their son played in the Asian tournament, Mr. and Mrs. Bay's small house in Do Luong district (Nghe An) was crowded with people coming to watch the match on the big TV that Cong Phuong bought for them. Win or lose, Mr. and Mrs. Bay could not sleep. The day the team returned, they were busy and could not pick up their son. Cong Phuong's mother boasted: "I bought chicken in advance, and when he came home, I prepared a feast for the relatives. Watching my son play football on TV, I saw that Phuong seemed to have lost weight. This time when he comes back, I will cook rice for him to eat to his heart's content."

Quietly on the day of his return, the youngest defender of the team, Doan Van Hau, often hid behind his teammates and chattered with congratulations. Having played very well from the U-20 team to the U-23 team, who would have thought that in the last match of the Asian group stage, he would be injured and would have to sit out the entire time.

“Every night I call home, afraid that my parents will be sad about my injury. After each tournament, I don’t have much time to visit home. Every time I call, my mother says: “Don’t ever give up, the road ahead is still long!” - Van Hau confided.

Over the past few days, Mrs. Duong Thi Cuc and her husband in the suburbs of Hanoi have been busy receiving guests. Everyone is happy and proud of her son - midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai. Mrs. Cuc said that Quang Hai often calls home after each match and tells them: "Mom and Dad, don't talk too much about me."

Mrs. Cuc knows her son's intentions, so she often tells everyone that the work is the collective's, not just her son's. "I think people shouldn't praise Quang Hai too much, he's still young. Please don't call my son a hero," she said.

Tearful moment when Duy Manh planted the flag on a high pile of snow

In an exchange, player Duy Manh recounted the moment of planting the Vietnamese flag on the white snow at Changzhou Stadium:

“After the match, all the players on the team were in tears. Afterwards, the coaching staff came to encourage us, saying, “You guys played well, it’s just a pity that you were unlucky.” When the team went around the stadium to thank the fans, the fans from the stands gave us flags to put on our shoulders and wave to show our pride in reaching the final of the Asian tournament. At that time, I was in tears because I was so regretful about the match but also very proud because it was the first time U-23 Vietnam reached the final of the Asian tournament.

The image of Duy Manh planting the flag on the highest snow mound at Changzhou Stadium moved fans greatly. Photo: CTV

At that time, my friends happened to be walking ahead. I was walking at the back with the fitness coach putting his arm around me to encourage me not to cry anymore. In front of me was a pile of snow. Fans were waving at me, calling my name. I was holding a flag and I had the idea of ​​planting this flag here. My thought at that time was that later when I look back at the moment of planting the national flag, I would still remember the memories in China. When I planted it, my tears still fell because of regret mixed with pride for doing something to contribute to the country. After planting it, I bowed to the fans, bowed to the flag and followed my teammates into the locker room.

TT

Clearing the snow for teammates to take a free kick

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan spoke about the team spirit and fair play of the U-23 players: “I was very moved when I saw each player suppress their pain and fatigue, overcoming the difficult moments of each match, especially the final match under the white snow. The players cleared the snow for Quang Hai to take a beautiful free kick into the opponent’s net.

More touching was the image of the children supporting each other in the competition, sharing joy after each goal. Not only the children but also the coaching staff and doctors were the ones who silently worked side by side to make this historic victory.

The statement of player Xuan Truong that the U-23 Vietnam team has no stars but only a single star on the left chest is a symbol of solidarity, love, connection and conveys a great inspiration.

Teammates cleared snow for Quang Hai to take the free kick. Photo: Contributor

Captain Xuan Truong recounted the situation of clearing the snow for Quang Hai: “The snow fell heavily and made the field quite bad, so Van Thanh and I used our hands to clear all the snow to create an open space and for Hai to firmly place his foot. That shooting angle was favorable for both Quang Hai and me, but when I saw my friend's eyes looking at me as if saying "Let me kick!", I nodded because of his eyes and strong belief. That meant Quang Hai would take the free kick. I knew my teammate was very confident."

CT