What did Coach Park say to encourage Tien Linh to score?

“At the break before extra time, the coach said a few words to encourage the whole team. What I remember most is the sentence ‘try to fight for the colors of the Vietnamese flag'”, said the striker born in 1997.

Tien Linh became a hero when he scored the only goal in the 111th minute, helping Vietnam overcome Malaysia. This victory opens up the opportunity to defend the gold medal for teachers and coaches Park Hang-seo. Ahead of them is the final against Thailand on May 22.

“Today, the whole team has lost a lot of physical strength. The upcoming match against Thailand will definitely be much more difficult. Hopefully we will recover well in the next two days to complete the goal of retaining the gold medal. , dedicated to Vietnamese fans”, Tien Linh expressed.

Tien Linh is one of three Vietnamese players over 23 years old at SEA Games 31. Expected to shoulder the task of scoring, but he played below expectations and only scored twice. In the first half of the semi-final against Malaysia, Tien Linh was criticized for missing an opportunity.

“In the first half, I had some dangerous chances in front of the Malaysian goal but unfortunately could not score. The second half was a difficult time for Vietnam as the opponent played resilient, dragging us into extra time. However, Malaysia’s fitness gradually declined and we took advantage of that. The goal in extra time was very meaningful to me, “said Tien Linh.

“We went through a difficult 120 minutes, but in the stands the fans cheered with enthusiasm. I would like to dedicate the goal to all the fans who stayed and gave the players strength. Hopefully, the team will continue to be supported in the final,” he continued.

Vinh San