Coach Nishino satisfied despite Thailand's elimination; Trong Hoang in top 5 Golden Ball

Thai coach satisfied

"This is our fourth match at the U23 Asia. Thailand played with character, although not very smoothly. We tried our best, but there are still many things to improve, especially in the ability to keep the rhythm and control the match," Akira Nishino said after the loss to Saudi Arabia in the quarterfinals. "In the first 20 minutes of the match, we played well. That is valuable experience for my students. They will have more foundation to mature, at the same time laying the foundation for the team's plan to participate in the World Cup in the future."

Coach Nishino is satisfied with what Thailand showed at the U23 Asia. Photo: FAT

With the home advantage, Thailand passed the group stage of the U23 Asian Cup for the first time. However, the "War Elephants" could not maintain their momentum against Saudi Arabia, who were superior in many aspects.

"The U23 team lacks matches against strong opponents to gain experience, even though they are very hard-working and have a good technical foundation. Since taking this job, I have seen my students play at a faster pace. They dare to play as they want, dare to control the ball, and that is good for the long-term future," Nishino continued. "I believe this generation will have a bright future. We want to seek bigger challenges in Asia, aiming to reach the goal of participating in the 2026 World Cup. Besides the U23 team, I and the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) are also focusing on the U19 team."

Thai fans blame the referee

Conceding a penalty, ending their Olympic dream, many Thai fans immediately vented their anger at the referee of the match. Referee Ahmed Al-Kaf's decision to award the West Asian team a penalty caused a stir in the Thai online community.

Many extremist fans went to referee Ahmed Al-Kaf's personal page to attack.
Just a few hours after the match between Thailand and Saudi Arabia ended, the Omani referee's personal page had to change from public to private mode, to avoid a wave of attacks from Thai fans.

Thai fans criticize Omani referee.

"A referee like this should not officiate anymore", "How much money did Saudi Arabia spend to bribe him", or "The play was unclear. How could the referee make such a decision. What a lie", are three of the comments.

The Organizing Committee of the 2019 Vietnam Golden Ball Awards officially announced the Top 5 after counting the votes. Accordingly, there are up to 4 players who are playing or have grown up from Hanoi Club including Hung Dung, Van Quyet, Quang Hai and Van Hau. The remaining player who is not from the reigning V.League champion is Trong Hoang from CLV Viettel.

Trong Hoang had an excellent half season in Viettel’s shirt, after sitting out the rest of the season due to not having time to complete the registration procedures. At the national team level, this player also made a strong impression in both the Vietnam national team and especially the U23 Vietnam team.

Trong Hoang had a successful year.

Hien Tung