Coach Park admits having pressure before AFF Cup opener

Before the game, held in Vientiane, Park cited Argentina’s 1-2 loss against Saudi Arabia in their opening game of World Cup as an example of the challenges awaiting Vietnam in the game with Laos. However, everything went against his worries as Vietnam crushed the opponent 6-0.

“As a coach, I always have to try my best and prepare for all possibilities. The first game is usually a difficult match and anything can happen. I was worried before the game. But the players did their best and had a great match,” Park said in the press conference after the game.

However, Park said this is only the first game, and the big win came from the fact that Laos mostly used young players to prepare for SEA Games next year. He emphasized that Vietnam still have to perfect their style of play and have the best preparation possible for the game with Malaysia on December 27.

“The team actively worked on the flanks to attack. In the second half, they played lower to lure Laos players to go higher for counter-attacks. The fact that Laos players got low on stamina in the second half also made it easier for us,” Park added.

In the 34th minute of the game, star midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai had to leave the field and Park said he’s waiting for a conclusion from the medical team.

“I had the feeling that he got a muscle problem, so I decided to sub him out. We will have to wait for the doctors on the medical team to have the final conclusion,” he said.

Laos coach Michael Weiss said the game was already over for them when Vietnam scored the second goal.

“Congrats Vietnam with this deserving win. What they did was really impressive. We have made too many mistakes. The first goal came too early, then the second goal. The game was already decided from that moment,” Weiss said.

The 6-0 win helped Vietnam top group B, followed by Malaysia, who won 1-0 against Myanmar on Wednesday.

 

 

Coach Park admits having pressure before AFF Cup opener

Lào 0-6 Việt Nam