Trong Hoang and the realization of a decade-old dream

Nguyen Trong Hoang (middle) - who replaced Vu Van Thanh - was also a key factor in winning the AFF Cup 2018. Photo: Trung Kien.

Obviously, for players nearing the end of their careers, it seemed like the opportunity to play for the national team was over for Trong Hoang.

Even after the V.league ended, Hoang "cow" had planned to get married. Therefore, being called up to the national team was beyond his expectations. In other words, even though he had spent a lot of time with the Vietnam national team, for Trong Hoang, being called up to the national team this time was still a dream come true.

Trong Hoang brings a different desire to the AFF Cup 2018. He is no longer too young to think far ahead, and there are not as many opportunities as the current generation of Cong Phuong, Phan Van Duc, and Quang Hai. Therefore, despite being assigned to play as a left-back, Trong Hoang still completed his task excellently and became a key factor in bringing home the second regional championship for Vietnamese football.

"I tried to hold back the pain to continue playing" - Trong Hoang shared with the press. Photo: Trung Kien

However, the desire to make that dream come true is not easy to achieve. Hoang "cow" fought recklessly in the last moment when he was injured. The player from Nghe An may even have to retire early if he is unlucky enough to encounter strong challenges in the remaining minutes of the final match.

"I was in pain around the 70th minute of the second leg of the final against Malaysia. However, the match was tense at that time so I tried to suppress the pain and continue playing" - Trong Hoang shared with the press.

During those 20 minutes, no one could feel that Hoang "cow" was in pain on the field. He still tried to attack and defend rhythmically as if the match had only just begun. Not only Trong Hoang but also Dinh Trong was in the same situation.

After the match, everyone learned that both Dinh Trong and Trong Hoang had suffered serious injuries in the second leg of the final. However, because they did not want the Vietnamese team's system to be disrupted at the decisive moment, they accepted the danger and risked their lives to stand firm against the pressure of the away team, who were in a desperate situation.

Former SLNA captain won his first AFF Cup at the age of 29 after many missed appointments. Photo: Trung Kien

The injuries of Trong Hoang and Dinh Trong are very serious. The Hanoi midfielder has a fractured bone, while the Thanh Hoa player has a ligament problem. A more serious injury would put him at risk of retiring from the field.

Trong Hoang is unlikely to participate in the Asian Cup because of a ligament injury that will take a long time to recover. He is still trying to train with his teammates. However, the chances for him are not many and Mr. Park has also started to look for an alternative.

The championship that Hoang "cow" won with the Vietnam national team was truly a dream come true. To reach such a peak, the players had to make efforts, even risk their lives to fight to the end. Among them, Hoang "cow" completely deserves to be called a true "warrior".