f Vietnam become the second
Southeast Asian nation to reach
the World Cup finals – Indonesia
in the guise of Dutch East Indies
were the first in 1938 – then it is
hard to imagine just what rewards
will be showered upon coach Park Hang-seo.
After beating the United Arab Emirates and a 0-0
draw with Thailand, Park’s side were two points clear
at the top of their qualification group with five games
down and three to go. The team is on course to reach
the final stage for the first time and be one of the last
12 competing for Asia’s four automatic spots in Qatar.
Just to get close would get red-shirted millions out
on the streets for mass viewing parties in Hanoi in the
north all the way down to Ho Chi Minh in the south. If
it all sounds a little like South Korea in the summer of
2002 then there is a common element here...
Park was a well-known member of Guus Hiddink’s
World Cup staff 17 years ago as South Korea reached
the last four. He then went on to
have a middling coaching career of
his own in Korea’s K-League before
taking the Vietnam job in 2017.
Vietnam have long been known
for producing technically gifted
players and have invested in youth
facilities and development, but
they usually fall short even in
regional competition, never
mind the continent as a whole.
An old-fashioned Korean coach
who loves fitness, hard work and
discipline, Park has instilled those
values in a young and talented
team – and it has become a
winning formula. Vietnam havetwice to continue his run
of scoring in all 15 of Bayern’s
European and Bundesliga games
this season.
SPAIN: Lionel Messi’s hat-trick in
Barcelona’s 4-1 victory over Celta
Vigo is his 34th in La Liga, equalling
Cristiano Ronaldo’s record.
Sunday November 10
AUSTRIA: Erling Haland scores his
fi fth hat-trick of the season as Red
Bull Salzburg beat Wolfsberger 3-0
and he now has 27 goals in 18 club
appearances this season.
ENGLAND: Liverpool beat reigning
champions Manchester City 3-1 at
Anfi eld to open an eight-point lead
over Leicester City and Chelsea at
the top of the Premier League.
USA: Seattle Sounders claim their
second MLS Cup in four years with
a 3-1 victory over Toronto.
Monday November 11
BOSNIA: Police arrest 12 people,
including referees and officials, in
an investigation into match fixing
in the country’s second division.
Suspects are facing charges of
organised crime, bribery and abuse
of position, with the suspects
implicated in “demanding and
receiving gifts and other benefits”to fix the outcome of games during
the 2018-19 season.
ENGLAND: Raheem Sterling is
dropped for Thursday’s Euro 2020
qualifier against Montenegro after
he clashes with team-mate Joe
Gomez at England’s St George’s
Park training camp.
SPAIN: Barcelona will face Atletico
Madrid and Real Madrid take on
Valencia in the semi-finals of the
Spanish Super Cup, to be staged in
Saudi Arabia from January 8 to 12.
Wednesday November 13
SWEDEN: Ex-Nigeria midfielder
Dickson Etuhu is found guilty ofPark’s World Cup vision
South Korean coach gives Vietnamese hope
become Southeast Asia’s top side, overtaking Thailand
and breaking into Asia’s top 10.
The first signs of the “Park Syndrome” that has
gripped a nation of 96 million were seen in January
2018 at the AFC Under-23 Championship. An
easy-on-the-eye team with a soft underbelly,
Vietnam showed a new side. They were fitter,
quicker and more confident.
Park’s team entered the tournament in the bottom
pot of seeds but beat Australia in the group stage
and only lost to South Korea by a late goal. Beating
a talented Iraq on penalties had fans at home lining
the streets and partying. Then in the semi-finals they
beat Qatar, a team that contained a number of players
who would go on to win the Asian Cup a year later. In
the Final, with snow falling heavily in the Chinese city
of Changzhou, there was a narrow 2-1 loss after extra
time to Uzbekistan.
Nguyen Quang Hai scored his fifth goal of the
tournament in that game, earning himself hero status
in Vietnam and making him a top
prospect in a region of over 600
million. The attacking midfielder
has an eye for a pass, takes a good
free-kick and has an awareness
that belies his 22 years. Supported
by such as Phan Van Duc, Nguyen
Cong Phuong, Vu Van Thanh and
Luong Xuan Truong, Vietnam have
a young, talented side that has
grown up together.
That was confirmed at the end
of 2018 when millions came out on
the streets again as Vietnam won
Southeast Asia’s biennial regional
bash, the AFF Championship, 10
years after they had won it for theImpressive...
Park Hang-seoChase...UAE’s
Jassem Yaqoub
(right) tries to
get away from
Nguyen Quang
Hai of VietnamI
Vietnam
JOHN DUERDENTop...Liverpool’s Georginio Wijnaldum