AFF Cup: Vietnam victory not perfect, room for improvement

By Lam Thoa   December 2, 2018 | 05:50 pm PT
AFF Cup: Vietnam victory not perfect, room for improvement
Head coach Park Hang-seo demands Vietnam to stay better focused on the second leg with Philippines. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Dong
After winning the first leg away against the Philippines, Vietnam’s football coach says 'cannot stop now.'

Coach Park Hang-seo started the post match press conference saying the team needs to concentrate on the second leg to be played on December 6.

"I’m satisfied with the players. They have been working non-stop throughout the whole game and I want to thank them for that. But we cannot stop now, as we have to focus on the second leg in Hanoi," Park said.

"In the halftime break, I told the players to look back at the previous games for more motivation. And they did play better. From my point of view, Phan Van Duc is the man of the match. He contributed in our style of play and had a goal for his own," Park added.

Phan Van Duc (L) and Nguyen Anh Duc are goal scorers for Vietnam in Philippines match. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Dong

Phan Van Duc (L) and Nguyen Anh Duc are goal scorers for Vietnam in Philippines match. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Dong

The away victory gives Vietnam a bid advantage, because the second leg will be played at home with the support of 40,000 roaring fans.

However, Park Hang-seo saw room for improvement.

"This was not a perfect victory for us, because we conceded the first goal since the start of the tournament. We also missed many chances. That’s why we will have to do some analysis, improve our finishing skills and prepare for the second leg," he said.

On the other side, the Philippines’s head coach Sven-Goran Eriksson said he was not surprised with the result.

"The Philippines met a very strong opponent today. Vietnam has a great defensive line and it’s really hard to get through. Of course I cannot be happy, but this result was expectable. We had a tactical problem today." Eriksson said.

Head coach Sven-Goran Eriksson in post-match press conference. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Dong

Head coach Sven-Goran Eriksson gestures in the post-match press conference. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Dong

However, the famous coach stays positive on the upcoming game and believes Philippines can still defeat Vietnam on their home ground.

"We still have one game left. I believe we can beat them and proceed into the final. Today, we wanted to defeat Vietnam but couldn’t. In the second leg, we will come to Hanoi and play like we got nothing to lose," he said.

On Thursday, December 6, Vietnam will face Philippines again, this time in My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi.

 
 
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