Goalkeeper Bui Tien Dung: Be like Tran Nguyen Manh!

Bui Tien Dung's own goal contributed to North Korea U23's successful comeback, securing a 2-1 victory. This was the second elementary mistake by the "national goalkeeper" in just a month and a half. His most recent error was in the match between Vietnam U22 and Indonesia U22 (2-1) in the group stage of the SEA Games 30, held at the end of 2019 (December 1st).

It's true that mistakes are unavoidable in football, especially for goalkeepers. However, making mistakes frequently in a short period (over a year), while playing for different clubs (Thanh Hoa FC, Hanoi FC, Vietnam U22, Vietnam U23) and in different competitions (2018 National Cup, 2019 AFC Cup, SEA Games 30, 2020 AFC U23 Championship) is a very serious problem.

A mistake by Bui Tien Dung. Photo: baogiaothong.vn

All criticism at this point is meaningless to the 23-year-old goalkeeper, because it's all in the past. The essential thing is that Bui Tien Dung must know how to get back up after falling, determined to correct his mistakes. Only then can the goalkeeper from Thanh Hoa salvage, maintain, and develop his career, and continue to live up to his reputation as the "national goalkeeper".

If Bui Tien Dung needs a role model, it's none other than Tran Nguyen Manh. The former SLNA goalkeeper also found himself in a similar situation to Bui Tien Dung's current predicament, perhaps even worse. It all stemmed from the red card Tran Nguyen Manh received in the second leg of the 2016 AFF Cup semi-final between the Vietnam national team and the Indonesia national team at My Dinh Stadium.

At a time when his team was at a disadvantage (trailing 0-1), the goalkeeper born in 1991 committed a foul on an opposing player. As a result, Tran Nguyen Manh was sent off by the referee (76th minute). Despite their best efforts, Coach Nguyen Duc Thang's players had to settle for a 2-2 draw and were eliminated in the semi-finals (aggregate score after two legs was 3-4).

From that moment on, Tran Nguyen Manh was considered a "villain" by a significant portion of Vietnamese fans. However, these insults and criticisms did not discourage the goalkeeper from Nghe An, cause him to lose his self-confidence, or make him lose his composure. Instead of explaining or justifying his mistake, Tran Nguyen Manh threw himself into relentless training.

Tran Nguyen Manh during a training session with the Vietnamese national team. (Archival photo)

Tran Nguyen Manh's efforts were deservedly rewarded. In the 2017 season, Tran Nguyen Manh performed exceptionally well, making a significant contribution to the Nghe An team's National Cup victory. However, his joy was short-lived. An injury sustained during the match between SLNA and Tampines Rovers (Singapore) in the AFC Cup 2018 kept Tran Nguyen Manh away from the pitch for a full year.

Returning at the start of the 2019 season, the 29-year-old goalkeeper continued to be a key player for coach Nguyen Duc Thang. Living up to the trust and expectations of the coaching staff, Tran Nguyen Manh shone brightly with a series of spectacular saves for SLNA (best goalkeeper in V.League 2019). Thanks to this, the goalkeeper born in 1991 was included by coach Park Hang-seo in the Vietnam national team squad for the 2019 King's Cup, held in Thailand. A truly sweet comeback.

Tran Nguyen Manh did it, but what about Bui Tien Dung?