Korean newspaper compares Cong Phuong to Son Heung Min

At the beginning of the article, Naver newspaper expressed surprise at the effect Cong Phuong created even though he only came off the bench twice, even appearing for only the last 2 minutes of extra time in his debut match.

"Cong Phuong is a famous star of Vietnam, one of the best players of Asian Cup 2019. His appearance at Incheon United has received special attention from the media, videos about him attract thousands of views.

Vietnamese fans are waiting for Cong Phuong to play just like Korean fans were waiting for the moment Son Heung Min appeared at Wembley Stadium,” the Korean newspaper wrote.

According to this newspaper, Incheon's opening match attracted 8,000 fans to the stadium, including hundreds of Vietnamese people, and 30,000 online viewers on the club's website. This is a very impressive number, and shows how attractive Cong Phuong is to the Vietnamese community in Korea.

Although highly appreciating Cong Phuong, according to writer Seo Ho Joong, Cong Phuong needs more time to prove his talent because it is not easy for a new player to play in the K-League to make a difference after only 2 minutes of appearing. But every beginning is difficult, and when Vietnamese players adapt, they will be successful.

"Vietnamese players have failed in the K-League but fortunately they continue to be given opportunities. In fact, besides Cong Phuong, a K-League team has kept an eye on many other Vietnamese national team players," this writer shared.

At the end of the article, Seo Ho Joong also pointed out many benefits for K-League if they put their trust in Southeast Asian foreign players: "Recruiting ASEAN foreign players is an adventure that requires courage.

But money is no longer a big concern because the cost for clubs to hire them for 1 year is only about 200 million won, instead of 300-400 million won like foreign players from Australia and Uzbekistan.

After only playing for about 2 minutes in his first match when Incheon United won 2-1 against Gyeongnam Club in the second round of K-League, Cong Phuong was given more opportunities in the match against Sangju.

Accordingly, coach Jorn Andersen decided to send Cong Phuong onto the field in the 65th minute of the match. Having the opportunity to play, the striker from HA Gia Lai played very aggressively, and had many situations to support the attack as well as defend well.

However, in general, Cong Phuong still did not receive much of the ball in this match. With Incheon United, they let Sangju score in the 53rd and 82nd minutes, thereby receiving their first defeat in the K-League this season.

After 3 rounds, Incheon United is in 5th place with 4 points, 5 points behind the top team Sangju with 3 wins.

Thuy Linh