"I hate defeat. But Vietnam were strong and they had the support of 40,000 fans. They defended well, played long balls and were patient. They also scored a great goal. Thailand also played well. We created many chances but couldn’t score. That’s football," Polking said. He added: "Vietnam got to play at home, they had three months of training with specific strategies. They had better possession and knew how to convert chances. The beautiful goal by Nham Manh Dung is proof that they deserve to be champions." Thailand’s attacking power was considered the strongest in SEA Games as they scored 13 goals before the final. However, they approached the first half differently, compared to other games. "Actually, Thailand’s playing style was still the same. When we played Indonesia, we didn’t need too much pressing, since the opponent didn’t know how to distribute the ball. We tried to press Vietnam but it’s hard to succeed because they have quite a solid defense. I told the players to be … [Read more...] about Vietnam deserve SEA Games gold: Thai coach
Park hang seo
Vietnam defeat Thailand to keep SEA Games men’s football crown
Nham Manh Dung (17) scores the only goal of the match, securing Vietnam's win against Thailand. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi – The U-23 men’s football team of Vietnam beat its Thai archrival 1-0 in the final of the ongoing 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) held on its home soil to keep back the crown in a tense match on May 22. After the whistle, the two teams started Hanoi meet with several chances for Vietnam, and the Vietnamese young men failed to turn them into goals in the first minutes. Thailand then regained the balance in the ball control, and the two teams had a tit-for-tat first half. In the second half, Vietnam’s head coach Park Hang-seo sent in forward Nham Manh Dung (17), and the substitution proved effective. Dung scores a goal for Vietnam in the 82nd minute, sending the crowd wild. (Photo: VNA) In the 82nd minute, Tuan Tai (12) created a good pass from the left, and Dung rose high to make an unstoppable header to the far high corner of the net of … [Read more...] about Vietnam defeat Thailand to keep SEA Games men’s football crown
Golden Việt Nam defeat Thailand for SEA Games crown
Nguyễn Tiến Linh (9) and Nhâm Mạnh Dũng (17) celebrate after Dũng scored the only goal for Việt Nam. VNA/VNS Photo Quốc Khánh Peter Cowan HÀ NỘI – Việt Nam retained their SEA Games men’s football title on Sunday night, with a late, golden goal enough to see off bitter rivals Thailand by a goal to nil. The party began at Mỹ Đình Stadium in Hà Nội and surely went long into the night as the whole country celebrated their latest group of young heroes. The latest piece of silverware is yet another vindication of coach Park Hang-seo’s pragmatic methods, as while Việt Nam failed to entertain with their quality of play, he U23s still came away with the gold medal. Coach Park made three changes to the starting 11 that defeated Malaysia in the semi-final on Thursday, with Nguyễn Văn Tùng, Huỳnh Công Đến and Phan Tuấn Tài coming into the team. The passion of the rabid home crowd ensured the match was played in an atmosphere befitting of a final, but the quality of play in … [Read more...] about Golden Việt Nam defeat Thailand for SEA Games crown