Blameworthy mistakes
Trinh Xuan Hoang was selected by two coaches Park Hang-seo and Kim Sang-sik to join the U22 and the Vietnam national team in several training sessions over the past 4 years. He was also evaluated as a promising goalkeeper by Thanh Hoa coach Velizar Popov.
The European strategist even believes that Xuan Hoang can become the top goalkeeper in Vietnamese football in the period 2026 - 2027.
Coach Popov's prediction needs the future to answer. At present, Xuan Hoang is still immature even though he has turned 24.
Thanh Hoa's 0-3 defeat to PSM Makassar in the 2024-2025 Southeast Asian Cup C1 is one of the evidences of Xuan Hoang's instability in the penalty area.
Accordingly, at the end of the first half, when the score was 0-0, Xuan Hoang "gave" the Indonesian representative a goal. Receiving the ball from the right wing, the goalkeeper born in 2000 hesitated, lacking concentration and decisiveness. Just waiting for that, Syahrul Lasinari of PSM Makassar approached, stole the ball from Xuan Hoang's feet and passed it to Daisuke Sakai to finish into the empty net.
That unexpected loss made the Thanh team's spirit waver after the break. Then, they lost 2 more goals in the second half, thereby accepting a bitter elimination from the Southeast Asian Club Championship.
Nearly a year ago, Xuan Hoang also made a similar mistake when handling the ball with his feet in the penalty area. In March last year, in round 12 of V.League 2023-2024, Thanh Hoa's goalkeeper made a silly mistake, leading to a defeat against Hoang Anh Gia Lai.
In the 32nd minute, in a situation without much pressure, Xuan Hoang passed the ball straight to Joao Henrique Oliveira Veras' feet, allowing the striker to easily control and then create a favorable pass for Minh Vuong to tap into the empty net. In the end, Thanh Hoa lost to the team from the mountain town with a score of 1-2.
Nearly a month later, in the Thanh Hoa vs Hai Phong match, Xuan Hoang also made the home team's fans' hearts skip a beat. In the 52nd minute, from a cross from the left wing by the away team's player, the 24-year-old goalkeeper misjudged the ball's landing spot, creating an opportunity for Lucao to almost score from a position close to the goal.
Used to be a good player...
Going back in time to V.League 2021, Xuan Hoang was unexpectedly assigned by veteran coach Ljupko Petrovic to start in the Thanh Hoa away match against Hanoi FC. But this turned into a nightmare for Xuan Hoang.
In just the first 6 minutes of the match, Xuan Hoang conceded 2 goals. He made a mistake in the first goal when he failed to block Van Quyet's shot, creating an opportunity for Van Dai to easily tap in the ball.
In the 63rd minute, the young goalkeeper conceded his third goal after Bruno's header. He continued to make mistakes when he was not decisive in coming out, creating space for Bruno to head the ball into a narrow corner.
However, in some matches, Xuan Hoang also played the role of Thanh Hoa's hero, for example in the semi-finals and finals of the 2023-2024 National Cup.
In the semi-final match against Nam Dinh, Xuan Hoang made his mark in Thanh Hoa's 2-1 victory. Besides his commendable saves, this goalkeeper also had clever tricks that made his opponents lose focus during the match.
In the final, Xuan Hoang still created trouble for Hanoi's attack. Then, in the penalty shootout, his confidence and composure blocked Tagueu and Van Quyet's shots, thereby becoming the hero who helped the Thanh team defend the National Cup title.
