Vietnam dares to dream of Asiad final

Vietnam will meet South Korea, the home country of its head coach, in the semifinals of the Asian Games 2018 in Indonesia this Wednesday, and both the players and coach are determined to fight for a ticket into the final.

“I love my fatherland and I always want the best for South Korea. But now, as head coach of the Vietnamese team, I have a responsibility to do my best to help Vietnam battle into the final round,” Park Hang-seo told the press on Monday night after the victory over Syria.

Headcoach of Vietnamese men's football team Park Hang-seo hi-fives Nguyen Van Toan, who scored the goal that brought Vietnam into semifinal of the Asian Games 2018 on Monday night.

“We’re already in the semifinal now, which means we are one of the strongest teams in Asia, so there’s nothing to fear,” said Nguyen Van Toan, who scored the only goal that took Vietnam into semifinal.

“Also, with these players, Vietnam had made it to the final of U23 Asian Cup, so there is no reason stopping us to go further in this tournament, especially when all players have confidence in themselves and in the team,” he added.

Nguyen Van Toan exults after scoring the decisive goal in the match against Syria on Monday night.

The Asian Games is the world's second biggest multiple sports event (after the Olympics). This year’s edition, held in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia, has drawn 16,000 competitors and officials from 45 nations.

Vietnam's men's football team members are riding high after making history twice in reaching the quarters and semis of the Asian Games tournament for the very first time.

Photos by Lam Thoa, Duc Dong