In the final match of the 2023 Southeast Asian U.23 tournament, U.23 Vietnam and U.23 Indonesia, the coaches of the two teams, the goalkeepers of the two fronts... stood on the thin line between glory and bitterness.
U.23 Vietnam and U.23 Indonesia brought an exciting and dramatic match. After 120 minutes of a draw, the two teams had to enter a nerve-wracking penalty shootout to determine the winner. The lucky 11m kicks are the fragile line between glory and bitterness. As coach Hoang Anh Tuan himself exclaimed after the final match: "That's football, that's the coaching profession. Between glory and bitterness, the line is sometimes just like a match, just like a penalty shootout."
Both coach Hoang Anh Tuan and coach Shin Tae-yong are famous people. Mr. Tuan led the U.20 Vietnam team to the U.20 World Cup 2017, while coach Shin also led the Korean team to the biggest football festival on the planet - the World Cup 2018. However, before the final match of the U.23 Southeast Asian Championship 2023, both are eager to find their first title in the regional arena.
Coach Hoang Anh Tuan and U.23 Vietnam players burst into tears with the championship
UK
In case of losing in the penalty shootout, Coach Hoang Anh Tuan will face skepticism, even criticism from the public. But in the end, the coach from Khanh Hoa received the "sweet fruit", being carried by all the players in bursting happiness, when helping U.23 Vietnam successfully defend the Southeast Asian throne.
On the other hand, if he had led Indonesia U.23 to win the championship, Mr. Shin Tae-yong would have regained the trust of the fans, and been praised for his talent in using a young and understaffed team but still achieving results beyond expectations. However, this could not have come true, and the Korean coach could have been doubted about his abilities and faced negative public opinion from fans who were gradually losing patience.
Goalkeeper Ernando (left) and goalkeeper Quan Van Chuan both played very well for more than 120 minutes of play, but there is only one hero.
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The thin line between glory and bitterness is also clearly shown in the case of the goalkeepers of both teams. The two key players in the U.23 Vietnam and U.23 Indonesia squads both had excellent matches. Goalkeeper Ernando was the one who miraculously blocked Nguyen Quoc Viet's penalty kick, helping U.23 Indonesia avoid a goal in the first half. Meanwhile, Quan Van Chuan also won the face-off with striker Sananta in the second half, helping U.23 Vietnam keep a clean sheet.
When the two teams were still unable to determine the winner after the first 5 penalty kicks (5-5), no one knew what would happen when goalkeeper Ernando took the ball to the 11m mark. If successful in the 6th penalty kick and U.23 Indonesia won the championship, Ernando would certainly be the brightest player of the final night and could also win the title of Best Goalkeeper of the tournament. However, fate seemed to have arranged for Quan Van Chuan to become the hero. The captain of U.23 Vietnam flew to block goalkeeper Ernando's shot.
Quoc Viet (14) will probably blame himself a lot if U.23 Vietnam does not win the championship.
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After the match, the goalkeepers of the two teams gave each other a respectful hug, but in two opposite situations. Quan Van Chuan contributed greatly to helping U.23 Vietnam win the championship and win the Best Goalkeeper award, while Ernando was stunned because he accidentally kicked the championship trophy away after the surprising journey that U.23 Indonesia created at the 2023 Southeast Asian U.23 tournament.
In addition, young HAGL star Nguyen Quoc Viet also stands on that fragile line. If U.23 Vietnam cannot successfully defend the championship, the striker from Hai Phong will be the first and most mentioned name by public opinion, when he missed the opportunity to open the score on the penalty spot. When Van Chuan accurately blocked a shot and Thai Ba Dat successfully executed the decisive kick, Quoc Viet collapsed and could not hold back his tears. This image said it all, the 20-year-old striker will not have to suffer the obsession of causing the team to lose the championship.
Thanhnien.vn
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