Coach Park Hang Seo: "Vietnam U23 was lucky against Australia"

Quang Hai's precious goal and the unwavering fighting spirit of the Vietnam U23 team helped us achieve a historic victory at the AFC U23 Asian Championship, defeating Australia U23 1-0. Of course, coach Park Hang Seo was pleased with this crucial win. After the match, the South Korean strategist dedicated the victory to the Vietnamese fans.

“I want to share this victory with Vietnamese football fans. I promised to do something special, but this is just the beginning. I want to thank the players, the assistants, and my pupils; they did everything I asked them to do. And this joy must end soon; from tomorrow, we must immediately focus on the match against U23 Syria.”

"We always believe we can win every match. We don't know the outcome beforehand, but we always go out there with the mindset to win. Every team has its strengths, and of course, today we were lucky," Coach Park Hang Seo shared.

Luong Xuan Truong and his teammates caused a surprise against U23 Australia. Photo: AFC

Meanwhile, Ante Milicic, head coach of the Australian U23 team, expressed disappointment but was not surprised by the loss. Against the Vietnamese U23 defense, Australia's attack played poorly, missing too many opportunities.

Nevertheless, he didn't blame bad luck but acknowledged defeat.

He said: “First of all, I want to congratulate Vietnam on a great victory. Their win in a tournament like this is a reward for their character and helps boost their confidence. We expected something from their formation, tactics, and approach to the game with their 5-4-1 system. It was similar to the formation we used against South Korea U23, and we tried to exploit crucial moments to create some clear chances. However, we conceded easily, and we could have handled those situations better.”

"In the end, we created three or four good chances but couldn't score. Although we feel very disappointed, we appreciate this match and are focusing on the next one. The match against South Korea U23 will be very difficult for us," coach Ante Milicic shared.

This victory temporarily puts Vietnam U23 at the top of Group D, level on points with South Korea U23 and Australia U23. In their group stage match, a win against Syria U23 would secure Vietnam U23's place in the next round, a victory for Coach Park Hang Seo would guarantee their qualification. Meanwhile, Australia U23 must win against South Korea U23 to avoid elimination, as the AFC U23 Asian Championship takes head-to-head results into account.