Overseas Vietnamese fans burst into tears over U23 Vietnam's victory

Five Star Nails, a Vietnamese-owned salon in Loughborough, Leicester, England, on the morning of January 23, was sometimes filled with shouts different from usual. Taking advantage of the lack of customers, six Vietnamese employees huddled around a phone with a screen the size of a hand, broadcasting live the semi-final match between the U23 Vietnam team and Qatar in China via a Facebook page.

Hai Chung, 28, a nail technician, felt her heart skip a beat every time the opposing team attacked. This was the first football match she had watched since living in England for two years.Just as the match was getting intense, a few British female guests walked in.

Chung asked the guests to wait a few minutes and said this was a very important football match."This is the first time Vietnam has reached the Asian semi-finals, we are so proud," she said."You must be excited. It's okay, just watch and cheer. We understand," mA sympathetic customer said.

A few minutes later, the staff returned to work but still listened to the match. The moment exploded when Vietnam won after the 11-meter penalty shootout. Ms.An, another employee, burst into tears, while Chung and her friends jumped for joy. "Oh, I was so proud that I was shaking all over," Chung said, adding that everyone in the group was satisfied because they got to watch the entire match. She liked goalkeeper Tien Dung the most, "he was handsome and dressed well."

After two consecutive 120-minute matches against physically superior opponents, the Vietnamese players remained calm to defeat Qatar in a thrilling penalty shootout with a score of 4-3. In the quarter-finals, Vietnam also won a ticket to the next round after defeating Iraq 5-4 on penalties. This is the first time a Southeast Asian country has won the right to enter the final of the AFC U23 Championship.

In the US, on the morning of January 23, Khoa Tran, 24 years old, manager of a spa and nail salon, took a day off after a sleepless night with the Vietnam U23 team. He went to a Vietnamese cafe in Houston, Texas to gather and comment with football fans.The echoes of the historic football match on the evening of January 22 are still intact.

Also watching football on their phones, Khoa, his mother and his younger brother "clashed loudly" and "danced more happily than Tet" after holding their breath in the last minute of the match. "In the second half, Vietnam played like they were possessed, maybe"The fans have inspired U23," Khoa said excitedly.

I rate cThe Vietnamese team's tactics are quite cohesive, with precise passing and passing, calm players handling situations, and solid defense, butCong Phuong holds the ball and handles it slowly.

Like Chung, Khoa loves goalkeeper Tien Dung the most. "Hopefully, in the final, Vietnam will meet Uzbekistan and making historylike Greece in the Euro 2004 final," Khoa said.

Meanwhile,Jay Tran, a police officer in Houston, said he had a "heart-stopping" sleepless night. "The Vietnamese team was denied twice but did not falter, they got stronger and stronger, never giving up. They were also denied a penalty kick but calmly went on to win," said the Vietnamese-American police officer.

And Le Dinh Binh, in Orlando, Florida,He buried his face in his pillow and screamed as the Vietnamese team beat Qatar in a penalty shootout and qualified for the final.afraid the neighbors thought the fight happened in the middle of the night."I can't believe Vietnam won against Qatar. The Vietnamese team played very tough, accepting everything, not afraid of anything, accepting the referee, accepting the goal, accepting being behind, and still won," said Mr. Binh.

He watched Vietnam participate in the U23 Asian Cup from the beginning and believes Vietnam will win again in the next match. "The Gold Cup will go to Vietnam," Binh affirmed.

Trong Giap - Viet Anh