Coach Park not pressured by Indonesia’s home ground in AFF Cup semis

With a 3-0 win against Myanmar at My Dinh in Hanoi in the last game of group B on Tuesday night, Vietnam will face Indonesia in the first leg of the semifinals three days later. Coach Park expected a tough game on Indonesia’s home ground.

“Indonesia have been in the final of the AFF Cup before. Recently, they also changed a lot, with better players. From the information we have gathered, the Indonesian players have good skills, physique and a tactical sense, but I still hope that Vietnam will achieve the best result against this difficult opponent,” Park said at the press conference after the Myanmar game.

“Being away from home, of course, there is pressure, but I always believe that the players are capable and experienced enough to overcome it. As a coach, I will also have to tell the players not to get too excited and play calmly,” Park added.

The Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, where Vietnam will play the first leg of the semifinals, is famous for its pressure and heat from Indonesia fans. Thailand were the latest team to experience the heat on December 29 when the bus carrying them to the stadium was surrounded, threatened and hit with objects by many Indonesian fans. Thailand could only get a 1-1 draw from that match.

Coach Park condemned that kind of behavior, saying the fact that Indonesian fans threatened and attacked the opponents cannot exist in football. But he also said after the attack on the bus of Thailand, Indonesia will not let the same thing happen, because of the risk of being fined by the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF).

Back to the Myanmar match, Park expressed his dissatisfaction. Playing against an opponent that were eliminated and lost many main players due to injury and suspension, Vietnam won 3-0 thanks to an own goal, a goal from Nguyen Tien Linh and another from substitution Chau Ngoc Quang.

“The team only achieved the desired results in the first three matches, including a 0-0 draw on artificial grass in Singapore, but not this one. But in the end, Vietnam are still at the top of the group. I want to thank the players for giving their best,” Park said.

 

 

Coach Park not pressured by Indonesia’s home ground in AFF Cup semis

Việt Nam 3-0 Myanmar