SEA Games: Laos goal irks Vietnam coach despite handsome win

"It’s the second match, and we won again. First, I would like to congratulate my players on the match’s result," Park said at a post-match press meet in Manila, the Philippines, Thursday.

However, he said he did not understand the need for making an error that Laos took advantage of to score a goal, despite being prepared for similar situations.

"My players and I would have to seriously review that loss," he said.

On why he let striker Nguyen Tien Linh, midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai, defender Doan Van Hau and midfielder Do Hung Dung into the main roster for the match, Park said he wanted the players to be ready and to get into the best state of mind before the next match against Indonesia, which was "very important."

Regarding hat-trick score Tien Linh, Park said he hoped Linh would continue to perform well and score more goals in future matches.

"We only have two days off, so the team needs to rest and recover as much as they can. The match against Indonesia is very important and we have to select the 11 best players [to play the match]," Park said.

"Vietnam played better and was a worthy victor," said Laos’s Singaporean coach Varadaraju Sundramoorthy.

"[Laos’s] defensive lineup had made mistakes, which led to an early loss and everything got more difficult. Everyone knows that Vietnam is very strong. Yet my players made too many personal mistakes," he said.

Vietnam’s victory on Thursday was their second successive win at the 2019 SEA Games. They will play other teams of Group B, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand, next month.

Their next game against Indonesia will be reported live from 7 p.m. Sunday, Hanoi time.