Please stop criticizing Nguyen Manh!

(Baonghean.vn) - The match between Vietnam and Indonesia at My Dinh Stadium has not yet ended, but there has been a series of criticisms, even curses aimed at goalkeeper Nguyen Manh for his mistakes. Contributing to the team of coach Huu Thang having to leave the AFF Cup 2016 right in the semi-finals, among the names that fans feel most disappointed with is goalkeeper Nguyen Manh.

First of all, it must be admitted that the goalkeeper from Nghe An is one of the "sinners" of the Vietnam national team in the recent match against the "island country" team. It was Nguyen Manh's immature and lack of courage that helped Indonesia advance to the final match. As a pillar, a leader (along with Cong Vinh, Van Quyet, Thanh Luong...), the player born in 1991 is expected by the coaching staff and fans to be the one to lead his juniors such as Xuan Truong, Van Toan, Van Thanh... in this AFF Cup.

Besides the mental factor, Nguyen Manh is also the best goalkeeper of Vietnamese football in recent years. The proof of that is that, in 2 consecutive AFF Cups (2014, 2016), the goalkeeper of SLNA Club was the number 1 choice for the position of goalkeeper of the Vietnam National Team under Coach Miura and Huu Thang. Over the past 3 years, every time the team gathered, Nguyen Manh was always given a certain position in the goal by the coaches, experts and fans. Every player is doubted about his professional ability, performance... but with Nguyen Manh, that never happened.

The Vietnamese team was eliminated due to individual mistakes. Photo: Internet.

That said, the 25-year-old goalkeeper deserves the trust that the coaching staff, players, experts and fans have placed in him. Therefore, Nguyen Manh's elementary mistakes in the second leg of the semi-final against Indonesia left everyone "shocked", disappointed and extremely angry.

A pillar, a hope of the Vietnamese team in the AFF Cup 2016, lost himself in a very important match, in the most important moments. Of course, Nguyen Manh had to accept the wrath of public opinion.

But, as fans of the Vietnamese team, we should have an objective view of the performance of the goalkeeper born in 1991 in this tournament, to make the most accurate judgment. Don't just because the home team failed, don't just because of mistakes at a few moments of a match, completely deny Nguyen Manh's contributions in this AFF Cup.

Everyone, try to imagine, what would happen if the person standing in the goal of the Vietnamese team was not the goalkeeper from Nghe An? It is difficult to give an exact answer. However, observing the journey of coach Huu Thang and his team in this year's AFF Cup tournament, Nguyen Manh's contribution is not small, if not to say very large. Ignoring the match with Indonesia that just took place at My Dinh Stadium, the SLNA goalkeeper is one of the best players of the Vietnamese team (along with Xuan Truong and Van Thanh).

Remembering the 3 matches in the group stage in Myanmar, we will clearly see the importance and contribution of Nguyen Manh. The victory that Vietnam national team won against host Myanmar (2-1) could not have come from only goals (Van Quyet, Cong Vinh) if it were not for Nguyen Manh's wonderful saves. Vietnam national team could not have overcome Malaysia if Nguyen Manh had played badly that day. And in the match with Cambodia, when we were short-handed, if Nguyen Manh had not shown his talent, we could not have achieved the miracle of winning all matches in the group stage, something that had never happened in the previous 11 AFF Cups.

How many times have we had to stand up to cheer and clap our hands excitedly because of Nguyen Manh's miraculous save? How many times have we breathed a sigh of relief because the ball was in Nguyen Manh's hands, to the regret and helplessness of the opposing players. How can we forget such wonderful moments so quickly? Don't turn yourself into robots, people who are heartless to the efforts of others. Tolerating and sympathizing with their mistakes is to enrich your own heart and soul.

Back to Nguyen Manh's two mistakes in the match against Indonesia. The first mistake was the one that led to a goal in the 54th minute, when he reacted too slowly to a harmless cross from Boas Salossa. In that situation, if he had been more alert, Vietnam would not have conceded a goal, putting the home team in a difficult situation. The second mistake was the retaliation against the opposing player, which resulted in a red card from referee Fu Ming, in the 75th minute. For an experienced goalkeeper like Nguyen Manh, those were two very blameworthy situations.

Goalkeeper Nguyen Manh was sent off. Photo: Internet.

In the history of world football, there are many legends who have made elementary mistakes that caused their team to lose the match and lose the title. Any fan who watched the 2002 World Cup final between Germany and Brazil cannot forget the "ball vomiting" of goalkeeper Oliver Kahn after Rivaldo's shot, allowing Ronaldo (fat) to score for Brazil. That goal ended Germany's chance to win the championship after 12 years of waiting. However, Oliver Kahn was not only not condemned by his home fans, but he also won the Golden Ball award of the 2002 World Cup.

Four years later, in the 2006 final between France and Italy, the famous player Zinedine Zidane “headbutted” defender Materazzi in the 110th minute after a verbal argument. As a result, the French midfielder was sent off and the “Land of the Hexagons” had to watch Cannavaro lift the gold cup with Italy, after a fateful penalty shootout (France lost 4-5). Although Zidane’s “hot temper” had harmed his team, no fans considered him a sinner.

The cases of Oliver Kahn and Zinedine Zidane have shown that true fans of the German and French national teams consider mistakes as a normal thing in football. As the legendary Johan Cruyff once said: “Football is a game of mistakes. Whoever makes fewer mistakes wins”. It is normal for Indonesia to make fewer mistakes and have more luck, and they win in the end, and we should accept that comfortably.

Stop criticizing Nguyen Manh. Photo: Internet.

Anyway, the match has ended, the Vietnam team has officially left the game, all criticism and insults are now no longer of positive value. I think, as true fans, we should give comfort and encouragement to coach Huu Thang and his team, and especially goalkeeper Nguyen Manh. At the age of 25, with his inherent talent, Nguyen Manh will still contribute a lot to the country's football. For now, let's forget the mistakes and failures and move forward. Nguyen Manh, keep it up!

Thanh Hung