Nguyen Cong Phuong: "Stand up from the mud and shine brightly"

Before the match, coach Park Hang Seo and his team were rated by experts as having a higher chance of winning than Olympic Bahrain. However, the developments on the field did not reflect that.

Bahrain Olympic deployed a reasonable formation, causing Van Quyet and his teammates to face many difficulties in both defense and attack. If it were not for the excellence of goalkeeper Bui Tien Dung and the "help" of the crossbar, Vietnam Olympic could not have kept a clean sheet until the end of the match.

Even at the end of the first half, Olympic Bahrain was only playing with 10 men (striker Sannad Ahmed received a red card in the 42nd minute), but coach Park Hang Seo's team still did not show superiority in terms of game position and opportunities created in front of goalkeeper Ahmed Ammar's goal.

As time passed, the impatience became more evident on coach Park Hang Seo's face, in every move of Phan Van Duc, Luong Xuan Truong, Vu Van Thanh, Nguyen Quang Hai... And in the 66th minute, striker Nguyen Cong Phuong was sent onto the field to replace Luong Xuan Truong.

Nguyen Cong Phuong (number 9) celebrates his goal with his teammates. Photo: Internet

The presence of the Nghe An player helped the Vietnamese Olympic team play more smoothly and coherently. The smart movements and daring dribbling of the “Vietnamese Messi” contributed to making the Bahrain Olympic team’s defense confused and disoriented.

The goal in the 88th minute was the inevitable result, after the tireless efforts of Nguyen Cong Phuong and his teammates. Thus, it only took 22 minutes on the field for the star born in 1995 to bring the Vietnamese Olympic team straight to the quarter-finals.

Nguyen Cong Phuong’s goal not only helped Vietnamese football make history at the Asian Games, but also helped the player regain his confidence. Since missing two penalties in the match against Olympic Pakistan on August 14, Nguyen Cong Phuong has lost some confidence in himself and in coach Park Hang Seo.

That is why, in the 3 matches against Olympic Nepal, Olympic Japan and Olympic Bahrain, "Messi Vietnam" was not in the starting lineup. Therefore, the goal against Olympic Bahrain was a relief for Nguyen Cong Phuong.

In the match against Olympic Bahrain, Nguyen Cong Phuong missed two penalties. Photo: Internet

That is why, at the end of the match with Olympic Bahrain, Nguyen Cong Phuong declared: "My team and I are very happy because we have done something for Vietnam. But for me, my most important goal is still in the future, not here yet."

Based on the above sharing, the 23-year-old striker will continue to score more important goals for the Vietnam Olympic team and the Vietnam national team. It proves that the confidence has returned to the player from Nghe An. Our task is to cheer him on and wait for him to continue to shine.

Talking about his favorite student, Coach Park Hang Seo summed it up in just 8 words: "He is an irreplaceable player". The goal against Olympic Bahrain was truly a turning point for the player currently playing for HAGL Club./.