Coach Park Hang-seo: "We have nothing to fear from Thailand"

Thailand U23 coach Alexandre Gama is helpless against Vietnam U23's playing style

“I am really surprised with the result of the match, congratulations to U23 Vietnam. I believe that U23 Vietnam coach - Mr. Park Hang-seo will also be surprised, because this is a result that few people expected.

In the first half, the game was very tight, U23 Thailand had more possession of the ball but could not advance as they wanted. In the second half, after U23 Thailand had to play with one less player, I wanted to reorganize the game, but that is impossible in a tournament of such high level."

Thailand U23 coach Alexandre Gama admitted his mistake.

“I have to take the blame, take responsibility for myself because the players did exactly what the coaching staff asked. In football, there are days and days, and this was not a good day for U23 Thailand” - The Brazilian coach took the blame after the defeat.

Coach Alexandre Gama answered when asked how he would report the match results to the Football Association of Thailand after returning home?

“Nothing, football has wins and losses. I said when U23 Thailand won U23 Indonesia that this is just one match, when the previous match ends. And when each match ends, it is the past.

In the first half, U23 Vietnam only had 1 shot but scored. U23 Thailand had more possession but could not score. In the second half, U23 Thailand lost another player, conceded another goal and everything collapsed.

"Quang Hai is an extremely talented player. However, Thailand is not lacking in talent. We cannot say that Thai football is less talented than Vietnam because of this loss. Quang Hai is a dangerous player and although we have decided to reduce his playing space, he still shows his best qualities" - the head coach of U23 Thailand said about the difference from Quang Hai before leaving the press conference room.

Coach Park Hang-seo took a risk when using Dinh Trong.

"Football has its ups and downs and today's score is something I didn't expect. Since I became the head coach of the Vietnam national team, I have never played against Thailand in the national team. As for the U23 team, we have won twice. From now on, we have nothing to fear from Thailand. I know that Thailand has been preparing for the qualifying round for nearly a year. As for the U23 Vietnam team, we only have 2 weeks. Today, the players showed the true spirit of Vietnam and won."

Coach Park Hang-seo responded about the risk of using Dinh Trong in this match: "I narrowed down the list, taking into account whether Dinh Trong could play or not. After testing in the matches between Brunei and Indonesia, Dinh Trong will play in the match against Thailand, which is my plan. Dinh Trong played the full 90 minutes today and did not concede any goals. My team of doctors and I worked carefully before choosing Dinh Trong to start in the "rival" match with Thailand."

Coach Park Hang-seo was also surprised by the match score.

"Duc Chinh scored in the match against Brunei. You all know that Chinh has not scored for over a year. Hopefully after the qualifying round, Chinh will show more in the National Championship" - Coach Park commented on Duc Chinh.

Coach Park thanked the fans who came to the stadium to cheer for the team: "In addition to the fans, I would like to dedicate this victory to the players and my assistant team. Everyone has worked very hard."

Talking about the goal for the SEA Games after the 2020 U23 Asian qualifiers, the Korean coach said: "This generation of players will join us in aiming for the SEA Games at the end of the year. To achieve good results at the SEA Games, we and the players need to make more efforts. I would like to thank the leaders of the General Department and VFF for creating the best conditions for us to aim for the highest goal."

With a 4-0 victory, U23 Vietnam won first place in Group K and advanced straight to the 2020 AFC U23 Championship finals taking place next year in Thailand. U23 Thailand finished second in the group but still participated because they are the hosts of the finals and are guaranteed a place in the tournament.

Captain Quang Hai was not surprised with the match result.

Sharing after the match, captain Quang Hai said: "My teammates and I tried our best and everyone played their part and the victory was the completion of the set goal. I myself was not surprised by the 4-0 score because the whole team was well prepared and demonstrated the set tactics, so the victory was not too surprising."

Finally, midfielder Quang Hai thanked the fans who came to the stadium to cheer for the team: "The whole team really had to endure a lot of pressure when the previous match only won a small amount. But when entering the match, everyone tried their best and achieved the set goal. On behalf of the whole team, I would like to thank the fans who came to the stadium to cheer for the team to win."

Watch Quang Hai dribble like Messi, Hoang Duc scores a super goal against U23 Thailand

In the 54th minute, Quang Hai broke through on the left wing between 4 Thai players and sent a pass for Hoang Duc to volley into the Thai U23 net, helping Vietnam U23 take the lead with a score of 2-0.