Coach Park Hang-seo: 'Vietnam team is strong enough to beat South Korea team'
The Vietnamese coach, in the dressing room after the victory over Syria, emphasized that his players were capable of defeating his home team.
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| U23 Vietnam: Hiding cards and calculations of coach Park Hang Seo |
"We took another step forward at the Asian Games, that is a success," coach Park Hang-seo began his talk with his players after the quarter-final win over Syria 1-0 on August 27. "Every step we take is like a final. But we will not stop."
Vietnam is having a proud journey at the Asian Games. Up to the quarter-finals, we are the only team to have won all the matches and not conceded a single goal in the tournament. After passing the group stage with a perfect nine points, Vietnam beat Bahrain 1-0 to enter the Asian Games quarter-finals for the first time. The team then wrote history, beating Syria 1-0 in the last eight. After Thailand, Vietnam is the second Southeast Asian team to reach the Asian Games semi-finals.
"In the next match, we will meet Korea," the 59-year-old coach continued. "At the U23 Asian Championship in China earlier this year, we lost to them. But this time we will beat them. Having reached the semi-finals, we have nothing to fear from them."
South Korea, the home team of coach Park Hang-seo, also just went through 120 minutes of quarter-final football like Vietnam. The Korean team, led by Tottenham striker Son Heung-min, struggled to overcome Uzbekistan 4-3 after being down 2-3. Both Vietnam and South Korea only had one day off before the semi-final.
“We need to rest, because that is the most important thing right now,” coach Park Hang-seo analyzed. “Korea is like us, they also just had to play extra time. Now is the time for the team that rests better, concentrates better, that team will have the advantage. We are Vietnamese. And we must be proud of that."
The semi-final match between Vietnam and Korea will take place at 4pm tomorrow, Wednesday, August 29, Hanoi time.
