Victory over Malaysia a gift for fans: coach Park

"There are only some days left until the new year, and in the last days of 2022, it's nice that we beat Malaysia 3-0. Before the game, I told the players that the team must try to win the match as a gift to the fans. I want to thank the players for realizing my wish," Park said at the post-match press conference on Tuesday.

Facing Malaysia at home ground My Dinh in Hanoi, Vietnam won 3-0 with goals from Nguyen Tien Linh, Que Ngoc Hai and Nguyen Hoang Duc. The match also had countless fouls between players on the two teams. Japanese referee Ryuji Sato had to give out six yellow, and two red cards for Nguyen Van Toan and Azam Azmi, along with a penalty for Vietnam.

"I think football is a confrontational sport, so contacts are normal. If a player breaks the rules, they will be sent off," Park said.

However, he felt sorry for Van Toan who was sent off early, for committing the same foul two times. This is Toan’s first red card in his career, after more than 200 matches.

"I don't think Toan was intentional when he got the second yellow. This red card affects the team and Toan is very sorry. But I also hope this is a lesson for the whole team so that they won’t repeat it in the next matches," Park added.

Malaysia coach Kim Pan-gon on the sideline of the game with Vietnam in AFF Cup on December 27, 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Lam Thoa

On the other side, Malaysia coach Kim Pan-gon refused to comment on the referee.

"Congratulations Vietnam. You deserve this victory," Kim said after the game. "I want to say sorry to the Malaysian fans. We couldn’t make them proud. But the players have tried their best. In the first half, we made a mistake from a corner. I don’t know what happened. I need to watch the game and analyze it. I don’t want to complain. The team will find out what’s wrong and improve for the next match. We have learned our lesson. But we also have to move forward and fix what we did wrong."

The 3-0 win against Malaysia put Vietnam at the top of group B. The team have six points like Malaysia and Singapore, but with a much higher goal difference. Another win against Singapore on December 30 will help Vietnam open the door to the semifinals and finish first in group B.

However, Park stayed cautious when he talked about the next games.

"There are four games in the group stage. We have only played two. My motto is moving forward firmly with each game. I can’t say anything about the next match. I just know that the team will have to maximize resources to achieve a good result," he said.

 

 

Victory over Malaysia a gift for fans: coach Park

Việt Nam 3-0 Malaysia