The martial spirit of the Vietnamese team
If the Vietnamese team falls to Thailand in the AFF Cup 2024 final on the evening of January 5, perhaps coach Kim Sang-sik and his team also deserve sympathy. Because on the journey to get the trophy, too many hardships surrounded Quang Hai and his teammates.
The Vietnamese team lost Nguyen Xuan Son after only the first half of the first half. In the second half, Supachok Sarachat scored one of the most controversial goals in the history of AFF Cup 2024. Before that, the referee blew the whistle and the Vietnamese player Actively kick the ball out of bounds when someone is lying on the field. But instead of returning the ball, Thailand decided to attack and scored on the throw-in when the entire Vietnamese team stopped. Legal, but lacking fair play.
And in the fiery final match on away field, under the enormous pressure of 50,000 spectators at Rajamangala, the Vietnamese team had to experience such a heavy mental blow.
Sweet championship
No less than one barrier appeared to stand in the way of coach Kim Sang-sik and his team, but the Vietnamese team refused to surrender. We stood up after the fall, redeployed the posture and made Thailand confused. The opponent committed a takedown foul and received a second yellow card to leave the field while still leading.
Coach Masatada Ishii’s students were on an emotional seesaw: regardless of the so-called sportsmanship to get a goal, tackled the ball fiercely and were disqualified, then had to play the entire final period of the match. in hasty anxiety. In the opposite direction, the Vietnamese team is still as steady as a rock. We are unmoved, no matter how many reasons we have to fall.
Fight until the last minute
17 of the 18 goals the Vietnamese team scored in the AFF Cup 2024 (before the second leg of the final) came in the second half. Among them, there were goals that came late… record: Tien Linh shot. scored against Singapore in the 90+11 minute, then Xuan Son scored in the 90+14 minute. But, everyone “dismissed” Hai Long’s goal in the second leg of the final, at minute… 90+19.
Vietnamese flag on Thai soil. The championship trophy in Thailand will be brought back to Vietnam
To be fair, the Vietnamese team still has many holes in the way they play. The defense has not patched all the holes, the midfield sometimes lacks ideas and disputes ineffectively, or the attack depends on Xuan Son’s inspiration…
However, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team overcame all obstacles thanks to their impressive physical foundation, resilient spirit, and above all, the attitude of playing football properly and kindly. The Vietnamese team won thanks to sweat and tears, and Mr. Kim once said that only insiders can understand how much effort the team put in.
Never give up!
The legacy coach Park Hang-seo left behind is the spirit of competition, which has now been fully inherited by Mr. Kim Sang-sik. The Vietnamese team is not yet (and may still be far from reaching) perfection, but has never stopped perfecting itself.
The clearest example can be taken from goalkeeper Dinh Trieu. 10 years ago, he quit football to find a new direction in his career. However, Dinh Trieu decided to try again with passion in 2021 when he played for Binh Phuoc team, then moved to Hai Phong, joined the team in 2023 and is now the best goalkeeper at AFF Cup 2024.
Coach Kim Sang-sik always needs such players. A simple hero, maybe not outstanding, but always overcoming adversity.
The Vietnamese team has overcome dozens of obstacles to taste the sweet fruits of the first year. Win against Thailand and then win the championship right on Thai soil? No team has ever done it as proudly as the Vietnamese team has done. A victory that has the salty taste of sweat and tears and the sweet taste of Southeast Asian glory.
Watch ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024 live & in full on FPT Play, at: http://fptplay.vn
