>>> Park Hang-seo: “Vietnam need to focus again for Thailand clash”
>>> Which scenarios would Vietnam U22s qualify for SEA Games semis?
In the 17th minute of the Group B match under the SEA Games 2019 men’s football against Singapore two days ago, Quang Hai collided with Singapore’s captain Irfan Fandi. Shortly after that, the Vietnamese skipper fell to the ground in pain. After a few minutes, coach Park Hang-seo quickly pulled Quang Hai out to and replaced him by Hung Dung. The No. 19 player left the field with a limp leg.
On Tuesday morning, Vietnam U22s’ doctors took Hai to a local hospital in Manila to scan his injury. As a result, the Hanoi FC’s star was diagnosed with a torn thigh muscle and as such will definitely be absent from the match against Thailand U22s.
In the case that his injury is worse than expected, Quang Hai may not even attend the remaining matches if Vietnam enter the semi-finals. According to a member of the coaching staff, the doctors will check his injury and continue to closely monitor Hai's progress to make a final decision.
This is certainly a huge loss, because Hai is one of the most important faces of Vietnam’s squad in both the U22 and the senior teams. Coach Park will have a headache calculating tactics with the loss of his key player.
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If Quang Hai is seriously injured, it will be a huge loss for Vietnam U22s during their gold medal hunt in the SEA Games 2019. (Photo: NDO/Minh Phu)
Hai has an important position in the Vietnam’s squad at the 30th SEA Games. However, having to undergo dense fixtures for a long time has caused the midfielder erode his physical condition. Therefore, even without injury, Hai has been cared for by the coaching staff by being able to have suitable short breaks. That is also the reason why Park constantly rotates his squad to always ensure the best physique and form for all Vietnam U22 members for each match.
Currently, the team’s doctors are also planning treatment to help Quang Hai soon return in the final stage of the SEA Games.
On the morning of Dec. 4, the Vietnam U22 team had a training session on the Rizal Memorial Stadium to prepare for the match against Thailand U22s. Because the team has just experienced a dense fixture with one match per two days, this training camp was only for players who did not play against Singapore U22s on Dec. 3. The group of the remaining players were undergoing physical recovery therapy at their hotel.
In the afternoon of the same day, Park and his players had a professional meeting to prepare options for the match against Thailand, which will take place at 15:00 (Vietnam time) today at Binan Football Stadium. Vietnam only need to earn one more point to ensure they go ahead while Thailand are forced to win with at least a two-goal margin to qualify for the semis.
Following are some pictures provided by the Vietnam Football Federation of Vietnam U22s at their morning training camp on Dec. 4:
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