Looking back at Vietnam's surprising victory over North Korea

(Baonghean.vn)- The Vietnamese team caused a big surprise when they came from behind and won 5-2 against North Korea. Notably, the North Korean team consisted of excellent players from the U23 team.won the gold medal at the 17th Asian Games in Incheon 2 years ago.

The mark of 2 coaches

It was no coincidence that in the 6th match, under coach Huu Thang, the Vietnamese team almost hung up the right wing. Because coach Huu Thang “read” the danger of left winger Pak Song-chol and defender Pak Myong Song, right defender Dinh Dong was given priority to focus on defensive duties.

Coach Jorn Andersen.

Meanwhile, on the left flank of the Vietnamese team, Thanh Trung and Van Thanh, with the support of Tuan Anh, continuously exploited the position of defender Kim Chol-bom. Norwegian coach Jorn Andersen also realized this early on, so he directed midfielder Kim Kuk-bom and striker Jong Il-gwan to move to the left flank of the Vietnamese team to limit the attack direction of the home team.

In a situation where two Vietnamese defenders were standing high, Kim Kuk-bom passed the ball to 24-year-old "killer" Pak Kwang-ryong, who used his strength to get past defender Que Ngoc Hai, scoring the first goal after only 15 minutes of play. Clearly, Pak Kwang-ryong's experience in the UEFA Champions League was put to good use at the right time.

The Vietnamese team started with a 4-1-4-1 formation to counter the 4-4-2 tactics of the DPRK team. Interestingly, coach Huu Thang directed Cong Vinh to be the only striker to move widely, acting as a "decoy duck" to attract the attention of the central defenders Chol Kang-kuk and Kim Hyok-song.

The Vietnamese team had an excellent performance in this match. Photo: VNE.

Coach Huu Thang asked the two central midfielders Tuan Anh and Xuan Truong to move up high and boldly attack the center when the opportunity arose. In fact, North Korea's pressing style of play made it very difficult for the Vietnamese team to launch attacks, but the home team's fighting spirit was not shaken.

In the 34th minute, midfielder Tuan Anh, surrounded by 5 North Korean players, boldly used his right foot to create a beautiful trajectory into the net of goalkeeper Ri Myong Guk, equalizing 1-1.

If coach Jorn Andersen is determined to win this match because he only has 3 months left on his contract to lead the DPRK team, coach Huu Thang's goal is to evaluate the abilities of his players. Therefore, the way the two coaches direct the match and make substitutions have different purposes.

Xuan Truong - best player of the match

The situation where midfielder Xuan Truong sent a pass with a landing point for defender Van Thanh to sneak down and use his chest to block the ball and shoot like a bomb into the net of Ri Myong Guk answered the question of why since taking over the national team, Huu Thang has always preferred to use the HAGL midfielder duo. Xuan Truong's masterpiece from a long-range shot from 25m away, raising the score to 4-2, showed the class of the midfielder currently playing for Incheon United Club.

Coach Huu Thang directs tactics. Photo: VNE.

It seemed that the rain, slippery field, and wet ball would make it difficult for the short, technical play of the Vietnamese team and favorable for the long, high passing play of the DPRK team, but in reality, the opposite happened.

Even when on the DPRK side, Kim Su Yong replaced Kim Kuk Bom and switched to a 4-3-3 formation in an attempt to score an equalizer, the Vietnamese team did not huddle together in defense. Perhaps coach Huu Thang brought Trong Hoang - a midfielder with a strong playing style - in to replace Van Toan on the right wing to increase the defensive steel.

When captain Thanh Luong scored the 5th goal for the Vietnamese team in the extra minute, people thought that the 8-month contract of coach Jorn Andersen was over. The North Korean Football Federation will find it difficult to accept the humiliating 2-5 defeat against the Vietnamese team, which is considered much weaker. That means the audience's hope for the gold medal of the Vietnamese team at the AFF Suzuki Cup 2016 will increase a lot.

An Thanh