Why did striker Dinh Bac hug coach Troussier after scoring?

The Vietnamese team had a convincing 0-2 victory over the Philippines in the opening match of the 2nd qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. The two goals came from Van Toan in the 16th minute and Dinh Bac in the 90th minute, in which the goal and celebration of striker Dinh Bac moved many people.

From a quick counter-attack by the Vietnamese team, Dinh Bac dribbled the ball on the rather empty right wing and then turned inside. It seemed like this was a "dark" situation for Dinh Bac, but Nguyen Van Tung's run up accidentally blocked the opposing defender from retreating to block. From there, Dinh Bac got the ball again and made a bold decision when he fired a shot from the edge of the penalty area. The beautiful kick of the Nghe An striker sent the ball quite dangerously and somewhat surprised the Philippine goalkeeper.

Sharing with a reporter from Nghe An Newspaper working in the Philippines, the striker from Hung Nguyen said: "I am very emotional because I was able to score a goal to help the Vietnamese team win against the home team, but this goal is more meaningful because it is like a gift I give to my teacher (Coach Philippe Troussier)."

Talking about the first time playing in an official match of the National team, Dinh Bac could not hide his emotion: "I feel very happy and grateful when coach Philippe Troussier instructed and created conditions for me to play. That is the greatest happiness of a player."

Meanwhile, coach Philippe Troussier could not hide his emotions when talking about Dinh Bac's meaningful celebration. "Dinh Bac ran towards me after scoring. I believe that was an act of recognition from Bac for me and other players. Everything we are aiming for needs emotion. We need it to be more determined in our goals."

"Dinh Bac scored in his first official match. He is a potential player, with this proud achievement, I believe it will help him mature more in the future," said coach Philippe Troussier.

Previously, in an interview on November 14, the striker from Nghe An also shared his determination when given the opportunity to play in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup 2 qualifying round.

''Personally, I will try to practice well to adapt to the training plan set out by the coaching staff. I will try to integrate well with my teammates, and develop together towards the team's common goal in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup.''

Talking about the World Cup goal, Dinh Bac affirmed: ''Playing for the National Team, we always give our all. We try our best to pass the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. It is impossible to predict the result of the away match against the Philippines. The whole team is ready for the next match, the whole team is aiming for the best result. We need to do many things to realize the dream. It is not easy to get a ticket to the World Cup. We need to do well step by step. The first goal of the team is to enter the third qualifying round. At that time, everything will be different, fighting with a different spirit.

I am ready. This time, I am more confident, trying my best to make the coach trust me and give me the opportunity to play. We hope that the fans will always believe, support and persevere with the Vietnamese team. The whole team will do our best to bring home victories. We will do it''./.