After helping U23 Vietnam successfully defend the title of Southeast Asian U23 Championship, Coach Hoang Anh Tuan opened his heart.
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| Vietnam won the U23 Southeast Asian Championship after the final match on August 26. |
After the final match against U23 Indonesia in a penalty shootout, coach Hoang Anh Tuan said: "This is my first title with a national team. I feel great."
"I am very proud of my players, U23 Vietnam is the team with the youngest players in the tournament, many players aged 17 to 19 are playing regularly.
I am happy that the players have had valuable experiences through this year's tournament. We not only won the championship but also won with a younger squad compared to our opponents.
The final match was not easy for the players, having to take penalty kicks to determine the winner, that was a good experience for them," added coach Hoang Anh Tuan.
Regarding the final match with U23 Indonesia, coach Hoang Anh Tuan revealed that he had researched his opponent very carefully, considering the past journey of the archipelago team, before having a suitable strategy for the final match.
Coach Hoang Anh Tuan said: "U23 Indonesia played the previous 3 matches (2 group stage matches and the semi-final match against Thailand) with 3 different lineups. However, the lineup they operated best was the lineup used in the semi-final. I think they will use the same lineup in the final match, because the final match is very important to them."
"The same goes for U23 Vietnam, we used the starting lineup that I thought were our best. Then, in extra time, I put young players on the field," said coach Hoang Anh Tuan.
The final match lasted 120 minutes and included a penalty shootout, so the players' stamina was very important. Coach Hoang Anh Tuan said: "I think U23 Vietnam has an advantage when the match lasts longer. The Indonesian players' stamina seems to have declined after the semi-final."
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| Coach Hoang Anh Tuan at the press conference after the final match. |
"Moreover, they only had 7 substitutes for the final, including 2 goalkeepers. Therefore, they did not have many options when it came to substitutions, as there were only 5 positions left to replace. So, I told my players to be patient, time was on our side, even if Quoc Viet missed a penalty (in the first half).
I had anticipated that the match would last until the penalty shootout, and that's exactly what happened on the field. Before that, we also practiced penalty shootouts quite a lot, so I understood the players' penalty kicking ability very well," coach Hoang Anh Tuan affirmed.
According to coach Hoang Anh Tuan, his patience with goalkeeper Quan Van Chuan paid off. The goalkeeper saved a penalty kick in the penalty shootout and was voted the best goalkeeper of the tournament.
Mr. Tuan analyzed: "Quan Van Chuan's previous mistakes, in my opinion, still happen to other goalkeepers. At this age, I put my trust in the players, especially the goalkeeper position. If after one or two matches Quan Van Chuan doesn't play well, I replace him, maybe he will lose his spirit and can't win the title of best goalkeeper of the tournament."
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