Duy Manh: 'Coach Park Hang-seo has instilled courage in Vietnamese players'

Duy Manh blocks a Japanese attack in the 1-0 victory in the final match of Group D yesterday. Photo:German Dong.

- How does Duy Manh evaluate Vietnam's finishing the group stage at the top of the table, with 9 absolute points and not conceding any goals?

- After the successful tournament at the U23 Asian Cup in China, we received a lot of expectations. Therefore, my teammates and I always focused on every training session, even when we were in Hanoi, then in Binh Duong and in Indonesia. We all tried our best to practice and compete, with the desire to achieve the best results. Therefore, finishing the group stage in the leading position is a result completely worthy of our efforts.

- How is the team's mentality after yesterday's match, because defeating Japan is not easy and is rare for Vietnam?

- Japan is a developed country, so after yesterday's victory, everyone was excited. We had a happy dinner. The team spirit was also very good. However, in football, joy cannot last long. We will quickly return to training because there is still a difficult road ahead, we must try harder.

- According to Duy Manh, what is the most meaningful thing that Vietnam got after the match with Japan yesterday?

- That is the spirit and courage that Coach Park Hang-seo instilled in us. This match, in fact, was only to determine the first and second place in the group. But winning means a lot to us, because we all tried our best.

- After yesterday's match, Vietnam suffered a heavy loss with the injury of Do Hung Dung. How do you feel?

- Injuries are something no one wants. But as players, we have to play our best, even sacrifice ourselves for the country's football, for the Vietnam Olympic team. And in competition, no one can predict anything. After yesterday's match, the whole team met directly with Hung Dung to encourage, share and promise to try our best to shoulder the responsibility he left behind.

- Vietnam is one of the rare teams that did not concede any goals after three matches in the group stage. The main contribution can be said to come from the trio Duy Manh - Dinh Trong - Tien Dung. What can you share about the two players who played with you?

- For a defense, not conceding a goal is a good thing. However, in competition, there are also small mistakes. We still talk to each other regularly, from the tournament in Changzhou to the Asiad. The constant exchange helps us overcome misunderstandings, solve many problems in connection and understand each other better to have understanding on the field.

Duy Manh has a scholarly appearance but possesses a fierce, mature playing style and abundant physical strength. Photo:German Dong.

- Has Duy Manh looked up information from other groups to see who Vietnam's next opponent is?

- After the match with Japan, we reviewed some other matches but not in detail. The road ahead is still very difficult, especially in the next round we will play a knockout match. Therefore, no matter who the opponent is, we must be careful and play our best.

- At the U23 Asian Cup, Duy Manh created an emotional image when he planted the national flag on the white snow after the final match with Uzbekistan. If this time, the team makes another miracle, what do you plan to do?

- I haven't thought about that yet, because it's emotional. What happened in China at the beginning of the year was really a beautiful memory in my life. The only thing for sure is that I will train hard and compete with all my might to achieve the best results.