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

Hien Tung DNUM_BJZABZCACA 08:39

(Baonghean.vn) - Although eliminated in the quarter-finals of the U23 Asian Cup, Thai coach Nishino was satisfied with what his players did; Thai fans commented that referee Ahmed Al-Kaf indirectly eliminated the home team in the quarter-finals after consulting VAR and awarding U23 Saudi Arabia a penalty.

Thailand coach satisfied

"This is our fourth match at the U23 Asian Cup. Thailand played with character, although not very smoothly. We tried our best, but there are still many points 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."

HLV Nishino hài lòng với những gì Thái Lan thể hiện ở U23 châu Á. Ảnh: FAT.
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 excitement against Saudi Arabia, which was superior in many aspects.

"The U23 team lacks matches against strong opponents to gain experience, although 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

After conceding a penalty that ended their Olympic dream, many Thai fans immediately vented their anger at the referee. 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 hours after the match between Thailand and Saudi Arabia ended, the Omani referee's personal page had to be switched from public to private to avoid attacks from Thai fans.

CĐV Thái Lan chỉ trích trọng tài Oman.
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.

In the post on the Thai football forum, many malicious comments criticized the Omani referee’s decision. In nearly 10 minutes of posting, the post about referee Ahmed Al-Kaf received more than 600 likes, many of whom expressed anger, along with nearly 200 comments.

This controversial situation occurred in the 76th minute of the match. U23 Saudi Arabia was awarded a free kick close to the 16.5m line. However, after consulting VAR, referee Ahmed Al-Kaf decided to award the West Asian team a penalty. Abdullah Al-Hamdan made no mistake in scoring the only goal of the match.
Trong Hoang in top 5 Golden Ball

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 playing for Viettel, after sitting out the rest of the season due to not being able to complete the registration process. At the national team level, this player also made a strong impression on both the Vietnam national team and especially the U23 Vietnam team.

Trọng Hoàng có một năm thi đấu thành công.
Trong Hoang had a successful year.
The 2019 Vietnam Golden Ball Awards Gala will be held at Ho Chi Minh City Theater at 7:00 p.m. on February 13, 2020 and will be broadcast live on VTV6 and several other channels.
The Organizing Committee also decided to award the Dedication Award to Mr. Park Hang-seo (Head Coach of the National Team, Olympic Team and U23 Vietnam) and Mr. Mai Duc Chung (Head Coach of the Vietnam Women's Team). The Dedication Award aims to honor and thank the contributions of these two coaches to the series of successes of Vietnamese football in 2019.

Hien Tung