Van Duc and Tien Linh repay the trust with victory

The replacement for Tien Linh in this historic battle is Van Duc and as usual,SLNA strikerwas again assigned the task of strengthening the defense on the left flank of the Vietnam national team to protect the score of 2-0. But when he had the chance, Van Duc overcame the opponent's pursuit, overcame the suspicion of someone that he was losing his form and killer instinct, to create a masterpiece in the 78th minute with a left foot shot that had accumulated energy for a long time.

Van Duc scored a goal that was considered a masterpiece in this match.

The “Great Spring Victory of the Year of the Tiger 2022” in the 3rd World Cup Qualifiers between the Vietnam National Team and the China National Team (3-1) marked a historic milestone not only for Vietnamese football but also for the Southeast Asian region. This is also the first historic victory of the Vietnam National Team in early spring against a neighboring team that once participated in the 2002 World Cup at home, when from 1997 to now, through 6 meetings, the Golden Star Warriors have never received any positive results.

This glorious victory of the Vietnam National Team is the common victory of Vietnamese football under the talented command of Head Coach Park Hang-seo in the key, decisive match in the 3rd Qualifying Round. When facing the top teams in the continent, from the beginning, the Vietnam National Team determined the mindset of learning, rubbing shoulders to gradually reach the level and only devoted all their strength to a few matches with opponents considered to be of equal strength in the group, possibly the Oman National Team and the Chinese National Team. Because the neighboring team Thailand had previously entered the 3rd qualifying round twice (2002, 2018) but only won 4 points from 4 draws and then only won 2 points from 2 draws. With the first convincing victory against the Chinese National Team, the regional football record was in the hands of Coach Park Hang-seo and his team and of course, once again we surpassed the Thais in this prestigious playground.

This big match on the first night of the Lunar New Year 2022 is not simply the "determination to win" of the Vietnam National Team shouted on the training ground in the days before Tet. It is also not just a temporary calculation of coach Park Hang-seo and his team when they see that their opponents have many problems with foreign players or the captain position and the must-win mentality of a team considered to be big.

What made the team enter the game alert and excited, the certainty and sublimation in each position on the field of Coach Park Hang-seo and his team originated from the daily growth of the golden star warriors in the past 4 years when entering the continental playground. When Hung Dung returned, the backbone of the Vietnam team really became more flexible and solid than ever. Hung Dung helped to release the capacity for Hoang Duc-Quang Hai. At that time, the remaining players such as Tien Linh and Van Duc had the opportunity to get close to the opponent's goal (for Linh to score the goal to increase the score to 2-0), had space to roam with the strength that had been suppressed for a long time by the defensive task (for Duc to score the goal of his life to increase the score to 3-0). The return of Hung Dung and the excellent performance of the Vietnam team captain can be said to be the decisive factor, the core of all the core of the victory of the Vietnam team in this historic battle.

There have been excellent players in the Vietnam national team in the past for various reasons (injuries, suspensions, Covid-19, poor performance...) but the team always has the necessary reinforcements, even in the most difficult times. The maturity and power of Tuan Hai, despite only being assigned the task 3 times, is an excellent signal for the Vietnamese national team's attack. Defender Tan Tai's good professional ability and "luck" when facing Chinese football is another bright spot of the Vietnam national team, constantly surprising the opponent in both home and away matches in this 3rd qualifying round.

What is more noteworthy is that the vision and trust of Mr. Park Hang-seo for his favorite children like Tien Linh or Van Duc was once again proven and fully rewarded. Tien Linh with 8 goals in the World Cup qualifiers is certainly the top scorer of the Vietnam national team and this record will not stop. In the 3rd qualifying round, Tien Linh could not maintain his usual form, at times had to step back to make room for Mr. Park for a few new factors, then contracted Covid-19 when the team really needed him in the attack. And the number 1 striker of Vietnam returned at the right time at My Dinh Stadium to continue to prove that everything is still within reach, in the steady steps of the Vietnam national team.

The replacement for Tien Linh in this historic battle was Van Duc and as usual, the SLNA striker was assigned to strengthen the defense on the left flank of the Vietnam National Team to protect the 2-0 score. But when he had the chance, Van Duc overcame the opponent's pursuit, overcame the suspicion of someone that he was losing his form and killer instinct, to create a masterpiece in the 78th minute with a left-footed shot that had accumulated energy for a long time even though it was more than 25m away from the goal, the ball bounced off the post and flew into the net before the Chinese National Team goalkeeper fell in despair. Van Duc has returned in a way that could not be more wonderful to Vietnamese football and SLNA like Mr. Park Hang-seo and many fans who have followed every step of this young man from the rice fields.

That was a memorable opening and the return of the Vietnamese national team's belief in victory, starting from the Spring of Nham Dan 2022. The innovation and renewal of the Vietnamese national team after 2 matches against the Australian and Chinese national teams by Mr. Park Hang-seo has shown to be more correct, necessary and effective than ever.