Coach Park Hang-Seo (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Koreanmedia extolled coach Park Hang-Seo after he led Vietnam’s national footballteam to a 2-1 win against the Philippines in the first leg of the ASEAN FederationFootball (AFF) Suzuki Cup 2018 semifinals.
The Hankyoreh newspaper published anarticle in which it said Park’s magic helped Vietnam defeat the Philippines.The article said Vietnam’s triumph over the host Philippines in the semifinalfirst leg brought them a significant advantage in the return leg at home onDecember 6. The winners will take on either Thailand or Malaysia in the final.
The paper stressed Vietnam is targetingits second championship at the AFF Suzuki Cup after 10 years since it won thetitle for the first time. Earlier, coach Park helped the country become the firstrunner-up of the 2018 AFC U23 Championship and rank 4th at the Asian Games(ASIAD) 2018, it added.
An article of the Nocutnews said the Philippineplayers, coached by famous Swedish football manager and former player Sven-GoranEriksson, had lost to their Vietnamese peers. It wrote Park once stated thatwinning the AFF Suzuki Cup is his top priority. His team passed thequalification round with three wins and one draw.
The Sport MK said in an article that theAFF Suzuki Cup can be considered a World Cup of the Southeast Asian region.According to the article, under the guidance of coach Park, Vietnam, which letno team score their goal during the qualifiers, is targeting at thechampionship title. The team beat the Philippines, a tough rival consisting ofmany qualified players, in the semifinal first leg and is moving closer to thefinal.
The AFF Suzuki Cup 2018 takes place fromNovember 8 to December 15. This year, it features a new playing format, withboth home and away ties.-VNA
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