Coach Park and his statement to the Thais in the U23 Asian Cup qualifiers.
(Baonghean.vn) - The Thais are clearly determined to reclaim their position in Southeast Asia. It's no exaggeration to say that the upcoming U23 Asian Cup qualifiers are a fitting battleground between Vietnam and Thailand.
As the host nation, the Thai U23 team is guaranteed a spot in the 2020 AFC U23 Asian Championship. However, the Thais are determined to bring their strongest squad to Vietnam for the qualifying matches in Group K, which includes host nation Vietnam, Indonesia, and Brunei. This move demonstrates that the Thais want the My Dinh Stadium to be the stage that determines the current standing of Southeast Asian football.
Following recent successes, Vietnamese football has truly earned the respect of the entire region. For them, Vietnam is the new king of Southeast Asian football. Vietnam's remarkable progress has made the rest of the region, including Thailand and Indonesia, feel envious.
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| Vietnamese football has made remarkable progress, causing Thailand to feel a sense of pride. (Photo: VTC) |
Recently in Gia Lai, Park Hang-seo had a very frank conversation with Chairman Duc. During this conversation, Park Hang-seo repeatedly emphasized that Vietnamese football no longer fears Thailand and should be confident in its own ability to achieve even greater things.
Park Hang-seo's words visibly delighted the owner of HAGL. Mr. Duc wholeheartedly agreed with that opinion and stated that Vietnamese football has long been prone to a fear of facing Thailand. However, this is no longer the case, and the dream of generations of Vietnamese football fans has become a reality. This was a wonderfully satisfying feeling for Mr. Duc, a man deeply committed to Vietnamese football, representing an entire generation that always dreamed of the Thai dream.
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| Coach Park Hang-seo believes that Vietnam is no longer afraid of Thailand. Photo: Kingsport |
In fact, coach Park Hang-seo once led the Vietnam U23 team to defeat Thailand on Thai soil in the M-150 tournament. This was his first major achievement in Vietnamese football.
Still reeling from that defeat, Thai football was even more shocked to witness Vietnam's consecutive unexpected successes, such as finishing second in the 2018 U23 Asian Championship, fourth in the 2018 Asian Games, and most recently, winning the AFF Cup and reaching the quarterfinals of the 2019 Asian Cup. From this, the Thais clearly felt that they were being surpassed by their rivals, and they were experiencing the same feeling that many generations of Vietnamese football had gone through before.
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| Coach Park Hang-seo will prove his words true in the upcoming U23 Asian Cup qualifiers. Photo: Vnexpress |
Park Hang-seo is not Vietnamese, and he doesn't harbor the same fear of the Thais that many Vietnamese fans have experienced. From a purely professional standpoint, Park understands how much Vietnamese football is progressing and whether the Thai team is truly formidable.
However, to prove their point, in the upcoming U23 Asian Cup qualifiers, the Vietnam U23 team, under the leadership of coach Park Hang-seo, must overcome Thailand and Indonesia to secure a place in the next round – a strong statement from the team that is currently the runner-up of the tournament.
