‘Thailand played well but Vietnam is better’

“It’s a good question,” coach Mano Polking said when asked about his feelings after the defeat against U23 Vietnam in the 31st SEA Games final, “My mood is not good at all. I don’t like to lose. It happened and we had to continue our journey.”

The Brazilian-born strategist also said that the victory of U23 Vietnam was achieved by the home team holding too many advantages. “They had a thorough preparation time with 3 months of practice, built a methodical strategy, and had a strong fan base behind them, who cheered for them during the match,” Coach Polking said. said.

However, he also admitted that coach Park Hang-seo’s army was the better team in the final. “Thailand played a good game and did their best, trying to take advantage of the opportunities they had but Vietnam were better, controlling the ball well and turning opportunities into goals,” he said. against Indonesia we didn’t press high. This is different from today. But Vietnam defended well and that’s why we couldn’t score.

Before the game I told the players to be patient and loyal to their play. Thailand kept that consistency throughout the tournament and scored many goals. Unfortunately, today it did not bring the desired results.”

At the end of the press conference, Coach Polking once again mentioned the loss of Thailand when there was only 1 day of practice. “With such little time, we still played well. So I’m very proud of my students. Coaching is a unique profession with each person having a different philosophy, although the goal is towards success. I admire Coach Park Hang-seo and congratulate Vietnamese football.”