6 years to wait and welcome another trophy at the national team level, compared to many countries in the world, is not too long. However, for Vietnamese fans, the Southeast Asian championship trophy brought back from Thailand has a special meaning. And history too.
In the 6 years since the 2018 AFF Cup championship, Vietnamese football still has victories, matches that make fans all over the country pour into the streets to celebrate, but that is the glory of the youth, the women's team, the futsal team... Meanwhile, for the national team, that is a period of witnessing a "change of fate". As written in the Tale of Kieu: "Going through a change of fate. The things seen are heartbreaking".
The pain is real, because from the time of reigning at the No. 1 position in Southeast Asia and dreaming of reaching new heights, the Vietnamese team has gone downhill - not only seen on the FIFA rankings, with its own problems. Therefore, the "Golden Star Warriors" came to the ASEAN Championship with many worries and doubts.
Marks on the journey…
However, after nearly a month of the tournament, the Vietnamese team has convincingly reached the finish line. Even though there are still some opinions that the Vietnamese team benefited from the fact that the two biggest opponents, Thailand and Indonesia, did not bring their strongest squads, that does not reduce the value of the victory. Because, the most important victory for coach Kim Sang-sik and his team is "winning over themselves".
From a little slow, a little sluggish, a little suspicious, the Vietnamese team operates more and more smoothly and harmoniously. The performance may not be as beautiful as the Thai team, may not be as strong as the Philippine team, but the red team is "mysterious until the end". That is shown through the fact that through 8 matches, the Korean coach used 8 different starting lineups.
In some ways, until the end, there are still many questions about what coach Kim Sang-sik's playing style and philosophy really are. That is the reason for the "hidden" comments, leading to questions about how much more the 48-year-old coach has left for the next journey.
It can be said that the greatest mark from coach Park Hang-seo's compatriot is to bring to the team the element of "unity". Unity from will to action, based on the strength of solidarity, of the maturity of many individuals - from veterans to newcomers. Because he understands, the greatest strength comes from solidarity. When even the top stars are ready to accept being on the bench to contribute to the match at some point, that is the success of Mr. Kim Sang-sik.
Of course, we cannot ignore the appearance of Nguyen Xuan Son - the striker who scored 7 goals in 5 matches, won the double of the Top Scorer and Best Player of the tournament. The mark of the naturalized striker of Brazilian origin has opened up a great hope for the next journey of Vietnamese football, with not only the naturalization strategy but also the positive impact on the domestic players. They will be aware of what they need to do, what they need to change to develop themselves.
…and “the foot tramples on thorns”
No glory comes easy. The journey of the Vietnam team, from Viet Tri to Vientiane, Manila, Kallang and Bangkok, has witnessed not only sweat and tears. There has also been blood and injuries, the most serious being Xuan Son’s own broken leg in an effort in the second leg of the final. It will take him at least half a year to return.
Previously, Ho Tan Tai and Nguyen Van Toan also had to leave the tournament early due to different injuries.
After a memorable match with Xuan Son, his injury is also an opportunity and a task for the Vietnamese team, when they have to seriously evaluate the issue of strategy and tactics when this 27-year-old striker is absent. A preparation that is not redundant, when right now they have to think about defending the crown and the future.
