Vietnam coach praises players after Malaysia victory

"An exhausting game," Park said in the post-match interview. "If this victory can get us into the final qualifying round of World Cup, I’ll be really proud. I want to thank the players, who have fought until the last seconds."

The victory didn’t come easy to Vietnam. Despite scoring first in the 27th minute and created many chances, the Golden Dragons faced great pressure from Malaysia after they equalized with a penalty in the 72nd minute. But the adjustments from coach Park helped Vietnam took the lead once again, also with a penalty.

"It was challenging for me to decide a formation for this game. Eventually, we went with the 3-5-2 formation, because it’s suitable with Nguyen Trong Hoang, who is really good at both offense and defense," Park added.

Three points from this game kept Vietnam at the top of group G with 17 points, two more than the host UAE. Park and the players are really near the final World Cup qualifying round.

In the last game with the UAE, a draw will be enough for Vietnam to secure the top spot and advance to the final round for the first time in history.

"I have watched them (UAE) play with Malaysia. Vietnam have also faced them before. This is a strong opponent. Although Vietnam are leading the group but the UAE have the top quality in Asia, in terms of physique and skills. However, we will find a way to win that game," Park said.

Due to overreacting with the referee, Park received a yellow in the game. That was his second yellow card in the World Cup qualifiers, after the game with Thailand in 2019. Therefore, Park will be suspended from the sideline in the next match with the UAE on June 15.

"I have no worries despite being absent in the upcoming game. My ultimate goal is to get the team into the final round of World Cup qualification and I believe Vietnam can do it," he added.