Ho Phuc Tinh - Suggestion for Coach Nguyen Huu Thang

(Baonghean.vn) - The Vietnam national team is currently lacking a true striker after Le Cong Vinh decided to retire at the end of 2016. Over the past time, coach Nguyen Huu Thang has been having a headache answering the question: Who is capable of taking on the spearhead position in the Vietnam national team's attack? And Ho Phuc Tinh is not a bad suggestion.

In the second leg of the National Cup quarter-finals between Ho Chi Minh City Club and SLNA, striker Ho Phuc Tinh of the Nghe An team had an excellent performance, contributing to SLNA's 4-0 victory, thereby owning a ticket to the semi-finals. The striker born in 1994 was one of the most impressive players at Thong Nhat Stadium in the last match, alongside Tran Phi Son, Olaha and Que Ngoc Hai.

Continuing to receive the trust of SLNA's coaching staff, Ho Phuc Tinh entered the starting lineup as a striker. It took only 16 minutes for the player wearing the number 18 jersey to prove his killer instinct when he scored the opening goal of the match.

A smart run eliminated the marking of a defender on the home team, received a delicate pass from teammate Olaha and finished neatly with his weak left foot, leaving goalkeeper Dinh Xuan Viet with no choice but to go into the net to pick up the ball.

Striker Ho Phuc Tinh has been in good form recently. Photo: Internet.

This is Ho Phuc Tinh's second consecutive goal, both of which were the opening goals and both of which went into the Ho Chi Minh City FC goal. In the first leg match between the two teams at Vinh Stadium on June 16, the striker from Quynh Luu was also the one who scored against goalkeeper Esele to open the score.

Thus, up to this point in the National Cup, Ho Phuc Tinh has scored a total of 3 goals for the Nghe An team. A very commendable achievement for a player who has just returned after consecutive injuries over the past 3 years.

Not only did Ho Phuc Tinh complete his goal-scoring task well, he also contributed a lot to SLNA's overall play. The goal that raised the score to 2-0 for the Nghe An team was created by midfielder Dau Thanh Phong, with Ho Phuc Tinh again playing the role of the creator.

Receiving the ball from Ho Khac Ngoc on the right wing, the player from Quynh Luu dribbled the ball a few more times and then passed it to his teammate Dau Thanh Phong who was waiting in an open position and goalkeeper Dinh Xuan Viet's net shook for the second time.

Another mark that Ho Phuc Tinh left in the match at Thong Nhat Stadium was in Que Ngoc Hai's goal that raised the score to 3 - 0. In the situation where the center back wearing the number 4 jersey took a free kick, Ho Phuc Tinh cleverly rushed in very quickly, making a fake move that made goalkeeper Dinh Xuan Viet lose direction, unable to save his team's goal. This move showed the cunning of the striker who is only 23 years old.

In addition, Ho Phuc Tinh's ability to move continuously over a wide area caused a lot of difficulties for the home team's defense. The central defender duo Phuoc Vinh - Dang Van Robert had to work extremely hard against the agility, strength and intelligence of SLNA's striker wearing the number 18 shirt.

With a fairly standard physique (1m76 tall, 70kg), Ho Phuc Tinh is very good at dribbling, pressing and aerial combat. Possessing basic personal techniques also helps the striker from Quynh Luu feel more confident when surrounded by opposing players.

Coach Nguyen Huu Thang will pay special attention to the progress of his compatriot striker. Photo: Internet.

Through the above evidence, we can affirm: Ho Phuc Tinh is regaining the excellent qualities of a striker (sharp finishing, smart movement, creating conditions for teammates to shine...).

Just like what the player born in 1994 had shown at the U21 Thanh Nien Newspaper Finals in 2014, the Nghe An striker won the double title of “Top scorer” (5 goals) and “Best player of the tournament”. It is promised that in the future, if given the opportunity to play regularly, Ho Phuc Tinh will become a top striker.

Surely, Coach Nguyen Huu Thang could not help but be secretly happy when witnessing the visible progress of striker Ho Phuc Tinh. The wrinkles on the face of the strategist born in 1972 have relaxed a lot after struggling with the position of center forward in the Vietnam national team.

Thanh Hung