Mr. Park didn’t know he won the 31st SEA Games

Coach Park Hang-seo said half-jokingly and half-truthly that he didn’t know if the players could keep the SEA Games gold medal in Vietnam, but would help them play their best, solving each game one by one.

Team U-23 Vietnam (VN) has spent more than half a month of focused training and played two friendly matches with Korean U-20 juniors with a 1-1 draw, a 1-0 win. The final goal of Park Hang-seo’s teachers and students is the second SEA Games gold medal in teacher Han’s five-year tenure.

Coach Park Hang-seo really wants the image in the Philippines three years ago to reappear in My Dinh on May 22. Photo: ANH PHUONG

After choosing the official squad from the two practice matches, Mr. Park again juggled with a reserved way of saying, “I don’t know if the same students won the SEA Games 31 or not. Because if I say I can’t do it, people “hit” me. We just promise to do our best.”

It is clear that Mr. Park wants football lovers to see winning and losing in football as normal and more importantly, to reduce pressure on his students, as long as it helps them feel comfortable and play football in the best way. . From the day he joined Vietnamese football, Mr. Park often did not talk much about any specific goals in the tournaments. More than four years ago, he told his heart that he would help the national team get into the top two numbers (under 100 on the FIFA rankings) and play well in international tournaments, then he did.

However, in the contract of re-signing with VFF, coach Park Hang-seo must be bound to the achievement of winning the SEA Games 31 and AFF Cup by the end of this year, otherwise no one would take the trouble to keep him to work. what.

Having lived long enough with the Vietnamese football village, Mr. Park understands that the fans’ expectations are always great, not only in tournaments but also in every match, regardless of friendly or official. He always tried to please all genders, although not always with success.

Mr. Park had many difficulties after stopping the game in the group final round Asia U-23 2020 as runner-up; and the latest is under great pressure in the final qualifying round of the World Cup 2022. At that time, the Vietnamese team lost seven matches in a row. Mr. Park heard many whispers about him being conservative and refusing to change. Mr. Han reacted to that view violently and then… made no further promises.

The 31st SEA Games football is about to open on May 6, Mr. Park does not promise to win the championship, but certainly wants to win the championship to bid farewell to the U-23 VN team with good memories.