Quang Hai overcomes thousands of obstacles

THE HAUNTING IS GONE

When the Indonesian media asked Quang Hai about the difference between the Indonesian team in March 2024 (with half of the team naturalized) and the current one, the 27-year-old midfielder refused to analyze for two reasons: each team has its own characteristics, and he also did not play a single minute in the two matches against Indonesia in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers to be able to compare.

Quang Hai (right) shines in the match against Indonesia

After leaving Pau FC (France) to return to play in Vietnam, Quang Hai experienced a low point in his career, the bottom of which was the two most recent matches against Indonesia. He sat on the bench, not being on the field for a single minute in both of Vietnam's defeats. His angry kick into the water tank in the second half of the match at My Dinh Stadium (Vietnam lost 0-3) when he learned that coach Philippe Troussier decided to use the last substitution to put another player on the field instead of himself, showed Quang Hai's helplessness.

Quang Hai returns to top form

When Quang Hai was not trusted by Mr. Troussier, there were two opinions. One group said that the French coach was conservative, the other group said that Quang Hai was left out for a reason. The trip abroad to France in 2022 deprived Quang Hai of the opportunity to compete and maintain his form at the best stage of his career, so that when he returned to Vietnam, the owner of the 2018 Vietnamese Golden Ball was only a shadow of himself. Quang Hai did not have enough physical strength to play 90 minutes, and according to some experts, he was not allowed to play in the right position at Hanoi Club.

When coach Kim Sang-sik took over the Vietnamese team, Quang Hai returned, but he could not show much. In the context that Mr. Kim had to call dozens of midfielders to the Vietnamese team to "re-cook" the midfield, Hai's role was raised and lowered many times. He had to compete with Ngoc Tan, Thanh Long, Ngoc Quang in the midfield; and if he played as a midfielder, Tuan Hai, Van Toan or Vi Hao also had equally good performance. However, when Quang Hai's position in coach Kim's system was questioned, the image of the creative midfielder with an extremely "weird" left foot and excellent tactical vision returned in the match against Indonesia on the evening of December 15.

N AGAINST THE WIND

The shot that scored the goal to bring victory over Indonesia showed the essence of Quang Hai. In the 77th minute, he received a pass from Hai Long and then made a beautiful swipe that hit the crossbar. Then Quang Hai also moved wisely to the back, received a dribble from Tien Linh and then swung his leg again. At this point, luck was no longer on Indonesia's side.

He is not tall but still makes others look up!

The good thing about Quang Hai is that when he took the first shot, he accurately timed the ball's drop point in the space where all four Indonesian players were hesitant to rush in to block it, thus creating space to shoot from afar. When the ball hit the crossbar, while most of the players were passive with the situation, Quang Hai ran very quickly across the penalty area to hunt for another space, then took advantage of the opportunity to score.

If the first situation showed spatial sensitivity, the second moment was Quang Hai's lightning-fast thinking. This midfielder did not waste even a second to think about the next move, before looking for an advantage for himself. In football, just being faster than the opponent by a split second will make a difference.

Quang Hai's wife and children in the stands of Viet Tri stadium on December 15.

Quang Hai reached the top 6 years ago thanks to his sharp football thinking. He is not the type of midfielder who organizes the play, does not dribble or accelerate, and does not have a good physique to press, but he knows where to stand to receive the ball easily, knows whether to shoot or pass, and knows how to tear apart the opponent's defense with just a flick of the foot. Unpredictability in handling is what coach Kim Sang-sik really needs in attacking midfielders. To penetrate Indonesia's deep-lying and extremely tight defense, there must be handling that goes beyond the tactical framework. There are qualities that can be developed through practice, but there are also special abilities that only appear in world-class stars.

Quang Hai used to be such a player, and is on his way back to his peak form. The road is still long, but Mr. Kim's students are ready to overcome the thorns.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/quang-hai-vuot-ngan-chong-gai-185241216230228503.htm