Coach Park Hang-seo: 'I'm tired of trying to beat Thailand'

The South Korean strategist said he invested quite a lot in the match against Thailand U23 and reaped sweet rewards.

Speaking at a press conference after defeating Thailand U23, coach Park Hang-seo said: "Today I was very tired thinking about the lineup and how to play against Thailand. The Vietnamese players played hard and followed the discipline set out. They executed the tactics well in both attack and defense. I am very grateful to them for playing well today."

When asked about his feelings on facing Thailand for the first time, Coach Park Hang-seo shared: "As a player, I've faced Thailand many times, but this is the first time I've done this from the sidelines. It was a very tense match, but the players performed well, from ball possession to passing. Thailand is a very strong team, but today the Vietnam U23 team did their job very well."

In addition, the South Korean strategist also revealed the reason for preferring the 3-4-3 formation: "In my mind, there are always two formations, and the players must operate both. The U23 Vietnam players didn't understand this before, but now they execute it well. Normally, we play with a 3-4-3 formation, but when defending, the formation switches to 5-4-1."

"Cong Phuong and Quang Hai are two very important players for the Vietnam U23 team. They pass and retain the ball effectively. However, our team is not just made up of these two individuals; the rest of the members are all very good. The team played well together today. I worked with them on how to position themselves when they have the ball and how to retreat to defend when they lose it," Coach Park shared about the two attacking stars, Cong Phuong and Quang Hai.

Commenting on Luong Xuan Truong, the head coach of the Vietnam U23 team said: "It's normal for players to have inconsistent performances. In my opinion, Xuan Truong has been playing better and better in this tournament. Today he performed well in his role as captain, guiding and directing his teammates on the field. I am very happy with Truong's performance today."

Meanwhile, Thailand U23 coach Zoran Jankovic said: "We controlled the game well but couldn't find the net. This was partly due to some players not performing up to par. Besides that, the team missed many scoring opportunities, including a missed penalty. The opposing goalkeeper played excellently."

"Despite the loss to Vietnam, I am still satisfied with the players in some aspects. Your team deserved the victory because you made good use of the opportunities you had. This result today will help the U23 Thailand team better assess themselves in preparation for the U23 Asian Championship next year."

A brace from Cong Phuong, along with an impressive performance from goalkeeper Tien Dung, helped the Vietnam U23 team conclude the international friendly tournament with a sweet victory against host nation Thailand.

Cong Phuong scored a brace in the first half, while goalkeeper Tien Dung continuously reassured fans with his excellent saves, most notably his penalty save after a shot from number 7 of the U23 Thailand team, Sombatyotha.

According to Zing