Vietnam need more time to improve, says coach Park Hang-seo

Head coach Park Hang-seo praised the players’ efforts during their match with Oman, stating that Vietnam need more time to improve as this is just the first time the team have gone this far in the World Cup Qualifiers.

Vietnam head coach Park Hang-seo attends a press conference after their match with Oman in the World Cup Qualifiers on October 12.
Vietnam head coach Park Hang-seo attends a press conference after their match with Oman in the World Cup Qualifiers on October 12.

Playing guest to Oman on Matchday 4 of Group B, Vietnam survived an early scare to open the scoring late in the first half. However, they could not build on that advantage to claim a positive result, as the Western Asian side scored three consecutive goals to grab their second win.

“This is Vietnam’s debut in the final round of the World Cup Qualifiers. The Vietnamese people, and I myself, have great expectations. But to tell the truth, we need more time to improve,” Park told reporters after the clash.

The Republic of Korean tactician made a number of changes to Vietnam’s starting line-up against the hosts. Explaining that, he said: “The selection of players is not my personal opinion but comes from all members of the coaching staff. When it comes to building the line-up, we all aim towards a win. Every deployed player, not just Cong Phuong but the others too, exerted great efforts.”

“The players did their best, but the post-match atmosphere was fairly quiet. I told them that no one wanted to lose the game, and there are still matches ahead to focus on, including the next two home clashes against Saudi Arabia and Japan,” he said.

As scheduled, Vietnam will depart home on the morning of October 14. Upon entry, the whole team will be put under health quarantine as prescribed. After completing the quarantine period, the team members will have a few days off before reconvening to prepare for the matches against Japan and Saudi Arabia on November 11 and 16, respectively.