Nguyen Manh expressed remorse and affirmed that he did not commit the foul.

(Baonghean.vn) - The number one goalkeeper of the Vietnamese national team has returned to his hometown of Do Luong after a forgettable match at My Dinh Stadium on the evening of December 7th. Having to leave the field due to a red card in the 75th minute, putting his teammates at a disadvantage, Nguyen Manh has spoken out about his moment of lack of self-control.

In the 75th minute of the second leg of the semi-final against Indonesia, while jumping to contest a corner kick with defender Bayu Pradana, the SLNA goalkeeper was elbowed in the face and retaliated by kicking the opponent in the back. Although Nguyên Mạnh's impulsive action happened quickly and wasn't strong enough to cause the Indonesian player to clutch his back in pain, referee Fu Ming, after consulting with his assistant, issued a direct red card, sending off the Vietnamese national team's number one goalkeeper.

Goalkeeper Nguyen Manh needs to bounce back after this avoidable mistake.

Disappointed by his red card, which put his teammates in a difficult position at a time when they needed to win against Indonesia to qualify for the next round, Nguyên Mạnh didn't dare sit in the stands to watch the rest of the match. Instead, he went straight to the locker room to reflect alone.

After what happened, Nguyen Manh regretfully shared: "I am truly disappointed and regret my actions that led to the red card and want to apologize to everyone. Actually, I only lightly kicked the Indonesian player to push him away because he was lying on top of me after we both fell during an aerial challenge, and I didn't intentionally strike him. But the linesman thought I had struck the opponent and reported it to the main referee, who then gave me a red card."

No one on the team blamed me for my mistakes, nor did they talk about the goals conceded; everyone just cried because we couldn't achieve what everyone had hoped for – reaching the final. But the red card only made the sadness of defeat even heavier for me."

Two days have passed since the match, and Nguyen Manh is still tormented by guilt. His wife, Phuong Chi, recounted: “That night, when he called home, he couldn’t confide in me, he just cried… I felt so sorry for him. We’ve known and loved each other for almost eight years now, and I know his personality; he’d never intentionally attacked anyone or acted badly on the field before. Right now, all I can do is be there to encourage him, and only the moments spent close to our daughter can help him cheer up again.”

Nguyen Manh finds solace in his little daughter.

Coach Truong Quang Vinh, who discovered and mentored goalkeeper Nguyen Manh in his early steps, also sent words of encouragement to his former student: “I only know that's how sports are. Glory and tears always go hand in hand, and you always have to strive. Personally, I always teach my students not to be arrogant in victory and not to be discouraged in defeat. If you make mistakes, you must correct them. No one is perfect. As long as you always strive, I and all true Vietnamese football fans will always support you…”

Trung Kien