Song Lam Nghe An midfielder shares his feelings after U20 Vietnam's victory

Le Nguyen Hoang - central defender of U20 Vietnam, trained at Song Lam Nghe An training center. Photo: FBNV

Revealing the secret that helped U20 Vietnam create an earthquake

Participate in the 2023 AFC U20 Finals,U20 Vietnamis in group B with U20 Australia, U20 Qatar, U20 Iran. These are all top teams in Asia.

Entering the first match against U20 Australia, coach Hoang Anh Tuan's team had a dream start when Quoc Viet scored a beautiful goal to open the score for U20 Vietnam.

In the following minutes, the team known as Socceroos, with their superior physique and class, pressed the U20 Vietnam team. However, the Golden Star team organized an active defensive style of play and launched sharp counter-attacks, leaving the opponent helpless and accepting defeat.

To win against a team with superior strength is not an easy thing. The U20 Vietnam defense had a resilient and brave match. In which, Le Nguyen Hoang was assigned by the coaching staff to play in the center of the defense and command his teammates to neutralize the opponent's siege situations. In front of the difficult passes of the Australian midfielders, the Song Lam Nghe An center-back showed his ability to judge and choose a reasonable position to not give striker Popovic a chance to score. In 2 situations, it seemed that the U20 Vietnam net would have shaken, but Nguyen Hoang showed his sharpness when clearing the ball accurately, cutting off the inside pass of the U20 Australian player.

The starting lineup of U20 Vietnam in the match against U20 Australia. Photo: VFF

Center back Le Nguyen Hoang of Song Lam Nghe An shared: “In this match, we really stepped onto the field with the most united spirit. All of us always looked at the flag on our chests, to fight together. Throughout the match, the U20 Vietnam players always upheld discipline in the tactics set out by the coaching staff. Those are the things that led to the victory of U20 Vietnam.”

This important victory will open up opportunities for U20 Vietnam to continue. However, there are still many challenges ahead, because the two teams U20 Qatar and U20 Iran are both very strong. If the U20 Vietnam players want to go far in this tournament, they must first maintain a stable mental state and always keep their feet on the ground. "I am really happy to have contributed to the victory of the home team. However, now we need to forget that victory and look forward to the next matches."

After this match, U20 Vietnam will face U20 Qatar. If they get a favorable result in the second round, coach Hoang Anh Tuan's students can completely realize their dream at this year's U20 tournament. Center back Le Nguyen Hoang shared that the whole team is currently very confident. In the time before the second round, U20 Vietnam needs to practice actively. Besides, they will find the opponent's strengths to overcome, discover their weaknesses to exploit.

Le Nguyen Hoang confidently said: "Certainly my goal, as well as the whole team's, is to continue to win 3 points, to have the best advantage before entering the 3rd match against U20 Iran."

The journey to becoming a U20 Vietnam center back

Recalling his childhood, midfielder Le Nguyen Hoang was often taken to the football field by his father to play with him. And his passion for the King of Sports also originated from there. Although the player born in 2005 was born into a wealthy family and his parents still wanted him to follow the path of academics. However, Hoang was determined to pursue his dream of playing football. That's why his parents agreed to let him train at the Song Lam Nghe An Youth Football Training Center.

Mr. Le Thu, father of Le Nguyen Hoang, said: “He loved football very much. When he was little, nothing made him happy other than playing football. Every afternoon, Hoang followed me to the field. Sometimes he even asked to go to the field to play with his father's team. At the age of 9, he joined the Cua Lo children's football team, participating in the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth Tournament. It was also from this tournament that he was selected by teachers at Song Lam Nghe An to join the Song Lam Nghe An youth training center.”

Le Nguyen Hoang has achieved many great achievements in the youth football teams of Song Lam Nghe An. Photo: FBNV

Entering Song Lam, Le Nguyen Hoang was directly coached by coaches Huy Hoang, Van Vinh... That was an opportunity for this talented central defender to learn more knowledge in the position he is currently playing. After 6 years of coaching Nguyen Hoang, coach Van Vinh shared: "Hoang is a very progressive and hard-working player. Although his physique is not ideal, currently only 1m76 tall, in return, Hoang has a good mindset for playing football, good situational judgment and always shows his leadership role on the field."

During his time with the Song Lam Nghe An youth teams, Le Nguyen Hoang won 3 championships at the National U11 and U13 tournaments. In 2019, the player from Cua Lo town was called up to the National U16 team. Since then, Le Nguyen Hoang has always been a mainstay in the Vietnamese youth teams.

“In the coming time, Hoang needs to gain more experience in competition and his ability to compete. If he trains seriously, I think he will become a good central defender of Vietnamese football” – Coach Nguyen Van Vinh said.

The U20 Asian Cup is probably just the beginning of Le Nguyen Hoang's big dreams. With his qualities, I believe Nguyen Hoang will go further in the future.