U22 Indonesia - U22 Vietnam: Whose side is fate on?
(Baonghean.vn) - As if by fate, at the 30th SEA Games, the two teams in the final match of the men's football tournament, U22 Indonesia and U22 Vietnam, stayed in the same hotel. After the semi-final, Coach Park Hang-seo said that he and Coach Sjafri both congratulated each other. But after the final match, only one person got to enjoy the joy of victory.
After a hard-fought 4-2 victory over U22 Myanmar, coach Indra Sjafri said: “God has arranged for Indonesia to win the 30th SEA Games gold medal”. He affirmed that without the mentality of a champion team, they could not have won against tough opponents Myanmar after leading 2-0 and then being equalized by the other team.
The fateful encounter
But for Vietnamese fans, fate has brought Mr. Park to Vietnamese football to realize the dream of the past 60 years. For professional coaches, Coach Akira Nishino or Park Hang-seo, the priority order will be the 2022 World Cup Asian qualifiers and the 2020 U23 Asian Cup Finals before the 30th SEA Games. Especially when the 2022 World Cup qualifiers and the 30th SEA Games are close together, both Coach Akira Nishino and Park Hang-seo will have to be distracted during the preparation process.
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| U22 Vietnam is one of two teams that have an undefeated record after the group stage. Photo courtesy |
But after the meeting with the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien, Mr. Park agreed to change his decision and directly take charge of the team. Experts were most impressed by the two "bargaining" conditions of the Korean coach: "VFF must accept the "massive" team of assistants, doctors, and interpreters of the two teams proposed by him. VFF works with the clubs to adjust the match schedule so that U22 Vietnam has enough time to prepare for the 30th SEA Games."
Unusual preparation plan
71 players, 9 training sessions scattered over 10 months were called up by coach Park Hang-seo's team for the Vietnam U22 team in 2019. Many sessions lasted only a few days, interspersed with V.League and First Division rounds. Never before has Vietnamese football had such a long-term plan when preparing for a SEA Games.
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| Once again, Coach Park Hang-seo was right with his calculations. Photo archive |
“What goes around comes around”, Mr. Akira Nishino chose the right time for U22 Thailand to enter the 2020 AFC U23 Championship held in their home country, which made the Thais regretfully leave the game early. Although Thailand is the champion of 3 consecutive SEA Games and the Japanese coach’s class has been proven to reach the continental level.
"The gas turns into the force"
In many SEA Games, Thailand has been Vietnam's biggest rival, this arch-rival has made us feel regretful 3 times. Now that U22 Thailand has stopped playing, is it possible that fate is on Vietnam's side?
But the most wonderful thing was the way Mr. Park sent his colleague Akira Nishino home, very dramatic, attractive and full of pride. For the Vietnamese, if they won the SEA Games but lost to Thailand, it would not be very glorious.
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| Coach Park Hang-seo's students celebrate their victory. Photo: VFF |
A Vietnamese journalist said: “In this SEA Games, Mr. Park has known how to “turn the momentum into momentum”, making his opponents go from confusion to collapse, to become the champion”. This SEA Games championship must belong to Vietnam, because only then will there be a champion who absolutely does not lose any match when ascending to the throne.
Destiny must belong to the team with serious preparation, a wise coach and warriors full of fighting spirit. That is U22 Vietnam!
