Football

"Vietnam and Park Hang-seo! Hats off to them, what an incredible effort. You guys didn’t park the bus and played a fair and square game with Jordan in 120 minutes. You didn’t play like a weaker team, you have faith and totally deserve the victory," Kelvin Leong of Fox Sports wrote on Twitter. Another football journalist, Keeshaanan Sundaresan of FourFourTwo magazine also praised Vietnam’s spirit. "Vietnam is a fearless team. They are the giant killers. They kept their head straight and won against Jordan on penalties. Believe it or not, they are qualified for the quarterfinals of Asian Cup," Sundaresan wrote. "Do you know what I like about this team? It’s the accuracy in their passes. Most Southeast Asian players have a good eye on the ball but they usually have a problem with their last passes. With Vietnam, that became less complicated," Sundraresan added. On ESPN, commentator Sid Ventura wrote: "It’s amazing. Vietnam is the Asian Cup quarter-finals … [Read more...] about Asian media, football experts lavish praise on ‘giant killer’ Vietnam

Phuong said that he was ready to prove himself at the new club. "I’m very pleased to join Incheon United, a very strong club. After last year, I have improved a lot. I promise that I will try my best to prove myself and introduce Vietnamese football to the world," Phuong said. K-League 1 is considered one of the toughest football leagues in Asia, but Phuong said is up for the challenge. "I’ve learned a lot about South Korean football through coach Park Hang-seo and my teammate Luong Xuan Truong. K-League is highly competitive and I will do everything to be a part of the club," Phuong added. Midfielder Truong was the first Vietnamese player at Incheon United, joining in 2016. Coach Park Hang-seo, assistant Lee Young-jin, agent Lee Dong-jun, South Korea Ambassador in Vietnam and Hoang Anh Gia Lai FC representatives also attended the presentation. "Cong Phuong has proved himself to be the best striker in Vietnam and he will have to do the same in South Korea. I’m glad … [Read more...] about Vietnamese forward welcomed to Incheon United football club

The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) made the move after 22-year-old Pendant told Goal Vietnam that he would "carefully consider" an offer to play for the Vietnamese national team, that it would be a matter of great pride. A report in the The Thao Thanh Pho Ho Chi Minh (Ho Chi Minh City Sports) newspaper said that Pendant, born to a Vietnamese mother and French father in France, is a defender for the Sochaux-Montbéliard football club in Ligue 2, the second-tier French football league. Pendant has played for the French U16 and U18 national football teams. VFF has said it is willing to create favorable conditions for Pendant to travel to Vietnam and play trial matches. In his interview with Goal Vietnam, Pendant said Vietnam means a lot to him though he has never returned to the country after a trip when he was six. "That is where my mother was born and raised. During my childhood, I was taught about the unique culture of Vietnam, from its cuisine, songs to movies." He said it was … [Read more...] about Vietnam makes overtures to Vietnamese-French footballer

Host Philippines announced the seedings with Vietnam placed along with Laos, Brunei, Cambodia, and Timor-Leste. The seedings are based on the performances in the previous SEA Games. In Malaysia in 2017 Vietnam crashed out in the group stage despite winning against the Philippines, Cambodia and Timor-Leste after drawing with Indonesia and losing badly to Thailand. In the first pot are defending champions Thailand and the Philippines, in the second are Malaysia and Indonesia and in the third are Myanmar and Singapore. As a result, Vietnam could be drawn in a tough group with teams like Thailand and Indonesia. Vietnamese football has been on a wonderful run in the last year or so, making the last four of the Asian Games, winning the AFF Cup and entering the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup. In the past SEA Games football teams were restricted to under-22 players, but the rules have been changed to allow each team to have two players aged above 22. This means key senior players like Nguyen … [Read more...] about Vietnam among lowest ranked teams in SEA Games football

On March 26, Vietnam U23 stunned Thailand with a historic 4-0 win in the final group K match of the qualifier tournament. For Nguyen Hoang Duc, scorer of the second, most spectacular goal of the match, it was more than just a victory. He took his chance to clear doubts and make a strong statement. Unlike teammates Nguyen Quang Hai, Doan Van Hau or Tranh Dinh Trong, Duc’s international career has taken a much rockier path. When Vietnam U20 qualified for the FIFA U20 World Cup for the very first time in 2017, Duc got the honor to be a part of the historic journey when he was named in the 23-man squad. He almost became history himself when Vietnam U20 played New Zealand in the group stage. In the 86th minute of the match, Vietnam latched on to a loose ball and counter attacked. The ball found Ha Duc Chinh, who dribbled and held off two defenders before clipping beautifully to Duc in the box. Unfortunately, the striker missed a sitter from just seven meters out, kicking the ball over … [Read more...] about Vietnam football star rocks after a rocky journey