The class of 'wizard' Park Hang-seo

Two Korean coaches led and matured quickly, before the 31st SEA Games, they were both trained and competed with Korean teams, with the same goal of reaching the highest destination, the gold medal of the prestigious men's football event, U23 Vietnam and U23 Indonesia opened the race for the first place in Group A at Viet Tri Stadium, which was packed with spectators and hundreds of millions of fans watching live on television in the region.

The Indonesian team led by Shin Tae-yong took to the field with the strongest lineup, despite the absence of defender Asnawi due to the absence of the home team. Meanwhile, the host U23 Vietnam arranged a lineup that was considered the best and most energetic, not much different from the predictions of experts and fans. Notably, the left-sided center-back was played by young player Tuan Tai, not Manh Dung as predicted. The player partnering Tien Linh was young striker Van Tung. The pillars of U23 Vietnam were all put on the field from the start to face the rising and formidable team from the Indonesian team.

Coach Park Hang-seo (middle) was excited after Hung Dung raised the score to 2-0 for Vietnam at Viet Tri Stadium on the evening of May 6. Photo: Duc Dong

The U23 Indonesia team remained loyal to their slow and steady play at home, waiting for the opportunity to counterattack. The hot spots in the middle of the field were associated with rough play or fouls associated with the pairs that followed each other like a shadow: Klok-Hung Dung, Irianto-Hoang Duc, accompanied by yellow cards for players from both teams. U23 Vietnam almost made a difference in the 20th minute from Hoang Anh's dribble down to the sideline, passing inside to Van Tung but unfortunately it hit the opponent's defender's foot and changed direction, causing the opportunity to slip away regretfully. The shots from Hoang Duc, Tien Linh or Hoang Anh... after that did not really trouble the opponent's defense.

In the second half, both teams changed positions, but Mr. Park Hang-seo proved to be more skillful than his compatriot on the other side of the battle line. That was replacing Van Tung with Manh Dung, moving Van Xuan to the right and Van Do to the left so that immediately U23 Vietnam became a smooth, effective, and unpredictable machine, capable of finishing off opponents with diverse and beautiful attacks.

The U23 players did not disappoint Vietnamese fans. Photo: PV

In the 54th minute, Van Do ran up to receive the ball from the left wing, pushed the ball inside and passed it to Manh Dung, who passed it inside for Tien Linh to tap the ball in quickly, opening the score. More than 20 minutes later, it was Tien Linh's turn to pass the ball through the middle for Hung Dung to glide down like a whirlwind, scoring a classy goal to raise the score to 2-0. While Hoang Anh, Thanh Minh and Van Xuan were unlucky when they had the chance, Van Do was compensated with a goal from a lucky long-range shot at the end of the match, raising the score to 3-0 for the home team.

Hung Dung celebrates his goal. Photo: PV

On the U23 Indonesia side, coach Shin Tae-yong could not maintain his physical strength to stick with and play fiercely against U23 Vietnam. Despite playing with all his might by sending most of his attacking players onto the field, he could not stop the creative momentum of U23 Vietnam, and had to accept defeat when he could not get a single dangerous shot towards goalkeeper Van Toan.

Coach Park Hang-seo also tried Cong Den, Hai Long, Thanh Minh… when things were brighter, especially in the second half. Overall, both the starting lineup and the players who were replaced completed their tasks excellently. But the biggest star of U23 Vietnam, of the victory over rival U23 Indonesia, was Coach Park Hang-seo when he knew how to neutralize the opponent's playing style and strength, promptly adapting the force to create surprises and mutations that left the opponent unable to react.

The resounding 3-0 victory over the biggest opponent in the group stage was a favorable start for U23 Vietnam to advance further on the path to defending the SEA Games gold medal. His choice of 3 players over 23 years old for U23 Vietnam showed his foresight, compensation, encouragement, and great support for the whole team to create a formidable force against any opponent.

The fact that Tuan Tai, a young player who has just matured, played the entire match, Van Do scored and had a brilliant pass, the key to the opening goal, Thanh Minh's header hit the post, Van Xuan's dribbling and kicking the ball hit the crossbar... as well as Hoang Anh's dribbling twice close to the opponent's goal showed that the coach had chosen the right person to entrust his gold to and was completely trustworthy in the young, new elements of Vietnamese football.