Vietnam national team coach Park Hang-seo left another meaningful mark.
Vietnam drew 1-1 with Japan in Group B of the Asian final qualifier for the 2022 Qatar World Cup held at Saitama Stadium in Saitama, Japan on the 29th. Vietnam finished last among the six countries in Group B with 1 win, 1 draw and 8 losses (with 4 points). However, it was the first time in Southeast Asia to advance to the World Cup final qualifier, and on the 1st of last month, it won its first historic World Cup final qualifier victory (3-1) against China, and a draw with Japan was achieved. Due to the draw, Japan got 7 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses (22 points), giving up the first place to Saudi Arabia (7 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss, 23 points) and was pushed to second place.
Vietnam ranked 98th in FIFA’s ranking, the lowest among the 12 countries that advanced to the Qatar World Cup Asian final. So, 1 win and 1 draw stand out even more. Out of eight losses, they lost by one goal in five matches.
In Vietnam, part of the squad and coach Park Hang-seo’s interpreter were not able to participate in the 10th round due to Japan’s strict criteria for confirming COVID-19. Despite the unfavorable circumstances, Director Park and Vietnam did not give up and harassed Japan. After the 10th game, coach Park said, “The final qualifying is a meaningful experience for us. Although the result was not good, I wanted to say thank you to the players who did their best and fought for the win.”
After taking over as Vietnam’s head coach in 2017, Park made a big mark in Vietnam’s soccer history, including runner-up in the Asian Football Federation (AFC) Under-23 Championship, advancing to the quarter-finals of the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, winning the Suzuki Cup, and winning the Southeast Asian Games. He once again proved his leadership by advancing to the final World Cup qualifiers for the first time in history, winning victories and gaining points.
Reporter Oh Hae-won
