Cong Phuong goes abroad to play: Success comes from bitter failure

"The whole team feels very disappointed with today's defeat. On behalf of the whole team, I would like to apologize to Vietnamese football fans. As for Mr. Duc, he said not to let this defeat affect the future. After this defeat, we will not give up and I believe we will be successful in the future." That was what Cong Phuong shared after the "weak" 0-3 loss to U23 Thailand at the 2017 SEA Games.

Cong Phuong's seemingly irrecoverable defeat at SEA Games 29. Photo: Zing.vn

The Vietnamese national team under coach Huu Thang, with the foundation of HAGL JMG players, is expected to fulfill the dream of winning gold medal of Vietnamese football at SEA Games 29. As for Cong Phuong, he received a lot of criticism from the online community for his unsuccessful 11m kick in the match against U23 Thailand.

However, that dream did not come true. We were eliminated in a bitter way after losing to U23 Thailand with a score of 0-3 in the last match of the group stage.

The U23 players that year included many players from the HAGL JMG training center such as Cong Phuong, Tuan Anh, Xuan Truong... who were still too inexperienced and lacking the courage to compete in international arenas that were more rigorous than the youth tournaments in which they had previously succeeded.

Vietnamese football clearly cannot rely solely on Mr. Duc's troops to succeed. What the former U19 stars lack is fighting spirit and a bit of toughness.

Vietnamese football has changed dramatically after the failure at the 2017 SEA Games. Photo: AFC

When Mr. Park Hang-seo appeared, Vietnamese football was significantly raised. The Korean coach saw the problem and deciphered it accurately. The current Vietnam national team is a combination of HAGL-style playing harmony, a bit of thorny, cunning of Quang Hai and Van Duc, the solid steel of Dinh Trong, Que Ngoc Hai, Duy Manh...

With the achievements gained in recent times, Vietnamese football has truly earned the respect of international friends. The current players of the Vietnamese national team have become sought-after stars from Asian football countries such as Thailand, Korea and even France.

Van Lam left Hai Phong to join Muangthong United. After that, two stars of the mountain town, Cong Phuong and Xuan Truong, were given the opportunity by Mr. Duc to go abroad for the second time. Cong Phuong joined Incheon United (Hanq Quoc), and Xuan Truong followed in the footsteps of his senior Van Lam to join the Thai League in the shirt of Buriham United.

A Cong Phuong has truly matured in the way he plays football, no longer the emotional and instinctive player he was before. A Xuan Truong, although not yet in good form, still has the appearance of a very modern, elegant midfielder. Xuan Truong's problem is perhaps that he is a little slower than Cong Phuong. Changing the way he plays football, the environment he plays in, maybe it will help Xuan Truong develop his full potential.

Striker Nguyen Cong Phuong in the match against Japan. Photo courtesy of Minh Chien

More than anyone else, Cong Phuong is the one who desires to leave the most after the success with the Vietnamese national team at the 2019 Asian Cup. The Nghe An striker did not hesitate to publicly express his intention to continue playing abroad after the Asian Cup.

Cong Phuong has truly matured in both his playing style and his thinking. The striker from Do Luong understands that his feet are ready to conquer new goals in football fields outside the S-shaped territory.

From the “disastrous” defeat at the 29th SEA Games, Vietnamese football has learned how to stand up. More precisely, we have learned to see the mistakes and correct them. Cong Phuong is the symbol of rising up after failure.

Well, every path requires a bit of luck, fate like the way we met Mr. Park Hang-seo. However, it cannot be denied that Cong Phuong and his brothers in the Vietnam National Team have achieved success today thanks to the "bruising" failures in the past.

Dear Bao