Cong Phuong worries about difficulty returning to the national team; Thailand 'accuses' Sananta of causing chaos in the SEA Games final

Cong Phuong worries about difficulty returning to the Vietnam national team

Since joining the Japanese team, Cong Phuong has only been on the field once in an official tournament, but in the 90th minute of the 2-3 loss to Nagoya Grampus on April 5. The 28-year-old striker was not registered after 13 rounds in J-League 1 and was on the bench for three out of four in the J-League Cup.

When asked about the opportunity to be called up to the Vietnam national team, Cong Phuong admitted the difficulty. "To be selected for the team, the first thing is that I have to play a lot for Yokohama FC," he told the newspaper.Hochi. "I am working hard every day to seize the opportunity."

Cong Phuong (number 4) practices at Yokohama FC. Photo: Yokohama FC

Cong Phuong said he has not received direct instructions from new coach Philippe Troussier. "I don't know if he knows me," Cong Phuong said. "I think people in Japan know more about coach Troussier than me."

Cong Phuong's long-term goal is to attend the 2023 Asian Cup held in Qatar in January 2024, where Vietnam will be in the same group as Japan, Indonesia and Iraq. "Facing a strong team like Japan will help Vietnam become stronger," Phuong said. "If I can participate, I want to score and win."

Thai media "accuses" Sananta of causing chaos in the SEA Games final

On May 19, Thairath newspaper (Thailand) based on a clip spread on social media to accuse Sananta's celebration in the final minutes of the second half of causing discomfort to the members of U22 Thailand.

Striker Ramadhan Sananta of Indonesia U22. Photo: AFP

"The cause of the problem (chaos) can be evidenced from clips shared by netizens. Ramadhan Sananta, striker wearing number 9 of U22 Indonesia, ran to celebrate the victory before entering extra time.

He (Sananta) ran to the front of the U22 Thailand coaching bench with the Indonesian flag to cause trouble. This behavior is considered disrespectful to U22 Thailand," Thairath wrote.

Head of Vietnam Sports Delegation regrets that U22 could not defend the gold medal

"After 20 days of competition at the 32nd SEA Games, the Vietnamese Sports Delegation has completed its assigned tasks, winning a total of 359 medals, including 136 gold medals, 105 silver medals and 118 bronze medals, breaking 12 records and setting 4 SEA Games records, ranking first among 11 delegations attending the Games. In some Olympic sports, we have also affirmed our top level in the region," said head of the Vietnamese Sports Delegation Dang Ha Viet.

According to Mr. Dang Ha Viet, the above figures help Vietnamese Sports affirm its position in the regional arena and the development of high-performance sports and grassroots sports in the country. The Vietnamese Sports Delegation was also commended for its efforts to overcome many difficulties during its participation in the SEA Games.

U22 Vietnam won the bronze medal, only losing to defending champion Indonesia at SEA Games 32. Photo: Quang Thinh

Besides professional success, the Vietnamese Sports Delegation also left regrets, when expected sports did not fulfill their targets.

"We all expected to win the Gold Medal in football and tennis, but both failed to meet the target. The women's team did well in defending the Gold Medal, but for the men's U22 National Team, this is a generational transition period, so we did not have the best generation of players. The team was unlucky in the semi-final match, allowing the opponent to score in the 6th minute of extra time," said team leader Dang Ha Viet.