Park Hang-seo: “Curacao clash will offer good experience for Vietnamese players”

With their superior fitness and physique, as well as many of their players studying football in Europe, the Curacao clash will offer a good experience for Vietnamese players, Vietnam head coach Park Hang-seo said during a press conference in Buriram, Thailand on June 7.

Vietnam head coach Park Hang-seo (L) and Curacao coach Remko Bicentini at the press conference.
Vietnam head coach Park Hang-seo (L) and Curacao coach Remko Bicentini at the press conference.

>>> Anh Duc’s stoppage-time goal grabs win for Vietnam over Thailand

Vietnam have set up a King’s Cup title match with Curacao after narrowly beating hosts Thailand 1-0 thanks to a stoppage-time goal by veteran striker Nguyen Anh Duc.

Speaking to the media, Park Hang-seo considered the June 5 clash with the Thai’s as the final match. Remarking on the game, he said: “There is strong competition between Vietnamese and Thai football. Luckily, we got a positive result”.

The 60-year-old tactician admitted that the upcoming final against Curacao will be a big challenge for his Vietnamese side.

“King’s Cup is a long-standing traditional tournament of Thailand, and the meeting with Curacao in the title match will not be easy at all. But I always expect to earn good results and we will try to claim the trophy”.

When being asked about the ability of their final opponents, Park stated that Curacao players not only have good physique, but their skill level is also imbued with European football features.

“Many of them were born, grew up and studied football in the Netherlands or other European countries. Curacao are in no way different from a European team, from physique to footballing skills. The clash against Curacao promises to bring an exciting experience to my players,” he said.

Ahead of the final, Park stressed that: “Fans want the King’s Cup trophy, and so do we. But we should work to ensure players’ fitness. Attaining both will be the best. I will not name the players who are recovering from injuries in the starting lineup tomorrow”.