U23 Vietnam receives admiration across the continent
Vietnam did not achieve the miracle as expected but there is one real victory that Vietnam has won which is the hearts of millions of football fans at home and abroad.
After the regretful final match, although the result was not as expected in the last minute, the boys of U23 Vietnam still received strong support from football fans across the continent, especially from Southeast Asian countries. A admiration, admiration, and even belief that Vietnamese football in the future will be the top in Asia!
Thousands of emotional statuses and comments were left by fans across Asia on Facebook pages, including the official Facebook page of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Manil Baniya from Nepal commented: “Vietnam, although lost, don't worry, you have won millions of Asian hearts.”
Nurfarhanim Zalani (Malaysia) could not hide his pride, comparing the Vietnamese players to soldiers in ancient times, commenting: “You lost the score but won the hearts of all ASEAN. You fought with 200% of your strength from the first matches, despite the unfairness of the referees twice, but you still won against Iraq and Qatar and now under the field and weather conditions. We know you are not used to this weather, but you still scored the first goal. It was great that you made the match last into extra time. You are truly warriors like the soldiers in Vietnam's history. All of ASEAN knows that Vietnam will come back strong in the future, as will Malaysia and Thailand. U23 Vietnam is the champion! Welcome, warriors!”
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Kholid Abdullah wrote: “I always support Vietnam. Uzbekistan deserved to win. They defeated Japan 4-0, Korea 4-1 but it took 119 minutes to defeat Vietnam. This proves how organized and disciplined the Vietnamese team is. A golden generation exploded for world football….”
Azhar Jalil commented: “The Vietnamese players made us proud for Asean. You are always number 1… An unbelievable performance.”
Nurul Bainun Murshidi from Malaysia wrote: “Today I changed my profile picture on my Facebook page to show my pride for the spirit of Vietnam. I don’t care about other negative comments. I am still proud. Because Vietnam has made history for ASEAN.”
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Besides, there were many comments from Vietnamese fans, in contrast to their reaction when they lost, they congratulated the other team. Facebook account Vananh Hoang wrote: “Congratulations to Uzbekistan. But Vietnam is always in our hearts. Thank you international friends for always supporting…”
A friend from Venezuela wrote on the personal group page Ha Noi Massive: “Vietnam! You are still the champion in our hearts. So proud!” And friend Tiga Bendie said: “U23 Vietnam won millions of hearts. So admirable!”.
Vietnam did not win the tournament but won history. Rarely has a match, despite losing, brought so much emotion and hope. Therefore, not only Fox Sport Asia but also world-class newspapers such as Marca and Bleacher Report paid special attention to U23 Vietnam. The AFC's special "Fair-play" award is still not equal to the "invisible trophy" that fans gave to U23 Vietnam.
