Coach Park and the yellow card that touched the hearts of fans

Battle at Thammasat Stadium

Before the match, midfielder Chanathip said that "Vietnamese players often play aggressively". But in reality, at Thammasat Stadium, the home players were the ones who excelled in this regard.

According to statistics, Thailand committed 12 fouls, while Vietnam committed 8. Football expert Vu Manh Hai commented: "I think it's more correct to say this is a battle than a match. That is, the teams fight each other, not compete with each other in tactics and techniques."

In the first half, the Qatari referee ignored Theerathon's strong hand strike to Trong Hoang's face. The left-back, who is playing for Yokohama F. Marinos in the J1-League, played dirty when he "accidentally" swung his hand to hit "cow" Hoang in the mouth, causing him to roll on the field, holding his face in pain.

Center back Que Ngoc Hai once joined the attack, fiercely contesting in the air. Photo: Trung Kien

Throughout the match, Duy Manh, Quang Hai, and Tuan Anh were fouled many times, but for some reason, referee Al Adba did not issue a card. The climax was in the 85th minute, during a quick counterattack, Cong Phuong was fouled by defender Tristian Do, but no card was issued.

To counter the small, smooth and fast playing style of the Vietnamese players with good individual skills, Mr. Akira Nishino arranged a large number of players in the midfield area. This was the first time the Thai team played with the "false striker" strategy, starting with a 4-4-2m tactic with the midfield arranged in a diamond shape, but at times the home team had up to 6 midfielders in the midfield area.

In addition, Mr. Akira Nishino also advocated playing aggressively, proactively committing fouls right in the midfield area to prevent Quang Hai and Van Toan from accelerating. The Vietnamese team's playing style was carefully studied by the opponent and the two false strikers Thitipan and Supachok and midfielder Chanathip (at the top of the diamond) also participated in blocking the ball, defending right on the Vietnamese team's field.

It was not until the 89th minute that Kesarat was booked, and that was the only time Thailand was shown a yellow card by the referee. The Qatari referee managed the match quite accurately, but he was lenient with both sides, especially the home team Thailand. In fact, the Vietnamese players did not stand still and let the home team "do whatever they wanted", but the level was still acceptable.

The teacher's feelings behind the card

The incident in which Mr. Park Hang-seo was shown a yellow card by referee Al Adba at the end of the match started from the situation where Bui Tien Dung fouled Chanathip Songkrasin. The "Thai Messi" player who is playing in the J1-League was very cunning, before falling to the ground, he managed to swing his arm back and hit the Vietnamese midfielder straight in the face.

The situation happened in front of the technical area of ​​the two teams, to protect the players, Mr. Akira Nishino and the Thai national team's language assistant immediately rushed onto the field to explain to the referee. Seeing Bui Tien Dung holding his face in pain and the reaction of the Thai coaching staff, Mr. Park immediately got angry and reacted outside the field and as a result, received a yellow card from the Qatari referee.

The reaction caused Mr. Park to receive a yellow card. Photo: Trung Kien

After the match, according to this coach, when he came to work in Vietnam, he tried to control his emotions and became more "calm": "Previously in Korea, I was given yellow cards and had to be dismissed many times, so the yellow card in the match against Thailand was nothing. I couldn't stand by and watch the referee be so indifferent when a Thai player committed a brutal foul."

This is not the first match where the Korean coach has reacted in a way that is considered "excessive" when his players were fouled.King's Cuptook place in Thailand in June 2019, he did that many times when Thai players, specifically the situation where Thitipan fouled Van Hau.

It is the referee's responsibility to handle the players and coaches right and wrong in a match, but the actions and statements of the Korean coach have touched the hearts of millions of Vietnamese fans. It has been a long time since we have had a coach who is so good at his profession and devoted to his students!