Goalkeeper Tran Nguyen Manh - 5 years for a sweet return to the Vietnam national team
(Baonghean.vn) - Goalkeeper Tran Nguyen Manh played well in the opening match against the Laos team on the evening of December 6 at the AFF Cup 2021. After 5 years of waiting, the goalkeeper from Nghe An finally had an answer for the country's football fans.
Goalkeeper Dang Van Lam's injury accidentally brought Tran Nguyen Manh back to the Vietnam national team to participate in the AFF Cup 2021 tournament. This is also the tournament where the Nghe An goalkeeper made serious mistakes in 2014 and 2016.
At the group stage of AFF Cup 2014,Nguyen Manhmade a serious mistake from a situation that required elementary skills of the goalkeeper, causing the Vietnamese team to be held to a 2-2 draw by Indonesia. It is worth mentioning that the mistake came in the final minutes of the match.
Two years later, in a match against Indonesia at the 2016 AFF Cup, Nguyen Manh made another mistake in the away team's opening goal, directly putting his team in a position of losing a player. At this time, the Vietnamese team had run out of substitutions, so central defender Que Ngoc Hai reluctantly put on his gloves and shirt to guard the goal.
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| Nguyen Manh plays for Vietnam national team after 5 years. Photo documentation |
The fact that Nguyen Manh was named by coach Park Hang-seo in the starting lineup for the match against Laos made fans quite surprised. Because before that, everyone thought that Tan Truong was the number 1 goalkeeper of the Vietnamese team at the moment.
However, entering the AFF Cup, the goal position of the Vietnam team is what worries coach Park Hang-seo the most. Van Lam and Van Toan are injured, Tan Truong is entangled in scandals on social networks. The flag unexpectedly goes to Nguyen Manh.
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| Nguyen Manh and his teammates. Photo: Archive |
Facing a not-so-strong opponent like Laos, the goalkeeper currently playing for Viettel still knew how to score points by diving and using his foot to save a shot from striker Billy, who is currently playing in France, helping the Vietnamese team keep a clean sheet.
The past 5 years, the journey is not too long, however, it is not too short for a player who once made mistakes to become a mainstay at both the club and national team level. It is not difficult to understand if in the next match against Malaysia on December 12, Nguyen Manh continues to be trusted by Mr. Park.
There was a time when people thought that Nguyen Manh would never have a chance to be called up to the national team, let alone play on the field. However, Mr. Park is a very fair person. The Korean strategist always finds the good points in each player and activates their potential.
In Viettel’s shirt, Nguyen Manh shows his constant efforts. Among the goalkeepers playing in V.League, the player born in 1991 is always rated by experts as being in the top.
