Coach Park's "magic" and the amazing physical strength of the Vietnamese team
(Baonghean.vn) - The Jordan national team was eliminated in a scenario that few people expected. At the 2019 Asian Cup, they only lost by 1 goal and were even undefeated during the official match time. But in the end, they left the UAE when they had to "fight" with coach Park Hang-seo and his team in a penalty shootout.
The Korean version of Goal published an article titled: “Park Hang-seo’s magic, Asian Cup quarter-finals… Vietnam wins”. The author of this article affirmed that the Korean strategist’s 5-3-2 tactic is what is helping him succeed when leading the red team.
Surprise about playing style and physical strength
The advantage of a day off, superior physique and physical strength helped coach Vital Berkelmans' team take a 1-goal lead. Jordan was not weak, they even organized a more coherent attack than in the group stage, but they encountered a very resilient Vietnam team. This Belgian strategist revealed what he said to his students in the locker room:
"I knew what could happen in the second half. During the break, I told my players to play with full concentration because the Vietnamese team had conceded a goal and would attack and increase the speed in the second half, but we could not keep a clean sheet."
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| Mr. Park's "magic" has created the success of Vietnamese football. Photo: AT |
Until now, Jordanian players still cannot understand why Vietnamese players could stick with them for 120 minutes of the match. Yaseen Al-Bakhit and Khalil Attiah did not show any mercy to Trong Hoang but still could not overcome this Nghe An player who made a killer pass. The Vietnamese players' stamina surprised Jordanian players, even Vietnamese audiences could not believe their eyes.
"The Vietnamese team actually played very well and especially when they scored, they played very excitedly. The Jordanian players showed signs of fear after conceding a goal and were more likely to make mistakes," Coach Berkelmans admitted. The difference between the "Park Hang-seo version" of the Vietnamese team and the team when they lost first was that they were not afraid and still followed the coaching staff's tactics.
Immediately after the goal, the Vietnamese team suddenly rose up strongly, playing "like a spirit", forcing the Jordanian players to struggle to defend and defend in large numbers. Coach Park Hang-seo has excellent individuals in his hands to execute the moves that the coaching staff has proposed. From Trong Hoang's pass to Cong Phuong's jump shot, everything is precise and perfect down to the centimeter.
Many people were worried when they saw Mr. Park risked choosing a close-quarters style of play to compete for the ball from the "bridge" Saeed Murjan (6), Yaseen Al-Bakhit. A style of play that if Hung Dung "runs out of battery" or lets the opposing midfielder pass him, Van Lam's goal will be shaken. This was the match in which Mr. Park Hang-Seo neutralized all 4 players on Jordan's attack line in the 4-2-3-1 formation, forcing Coach Berkelmans to renew all 4 of these positions.
This was the first time the Vietnamese team used many long-range shots. 12 out of 19 shots were taken from a distance of over 20m, by players Hung Dung, Trong Hoang, Quang Hai, Van Duc, Cong Phuong. The opponent's defense, led by the central defender duo Anas Bani Yaseen and Tareq Ziad Khattab, was constantly bombarded.
Few people expected that the defense that kept a clean sheet in 3 group matches against strong opponents like defending champion Australia and Syria would concede 8 corner kicks against the "short, lightweight" opponent Vietnam. With an average height of 1.78m, much better than Vietnam, Jordan did not concede any goals in corner kick situations, but the worry was clearly visible on the face of 36-year-old goalkeeper Amer Shafi.
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| Fans are ecstatic over the victory of the Vietnam national team. Photo: AFC |
Risk and calculation
For the first time, Mr. Park did not create any surprises in the starting lineup but brought surprise with the risky but calculated performance of the Korean coach.
Witnessing the journey of the Vietnamese team to the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup this time, fans once again admired coach Park Hang-seo for his leadership skills and the trust he placed in his students. Before Van Lam's few stumbles, many people called for giving goalkeeper Tien Dung a chance, but he still put his faith in Lam "the foreigner".
People were also surprised to see that he did not put any attacking players in the first 5 kicks. Free kick specialists Quang Hai and Van Toan were also not named in the first free kicks. Victory always comes with luck, but Mr. Park's "magic" is an indispensable part, creating the success of Vietnamese football in recent times.
