Coach Park Hang-seo of Vietnam (centre) speaks at the AFF Cup final’s press briefing. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Park Hang-seo said he would meet Republic of Korea andVietnamese supporters’ expectations by keeping the ASEAN Football FederationChampionship trophy at home on December 15 at the My Dinh Stadium.
The Vietnam national head coach highlighted his team determination to win atthe press briefing for the final’s return leg match between the hosts andMalaysia Saturday night.
Vietnam have a slightadvantage into the match having scored two away goals in a 2-2 draw in thefirst leg at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on December 11.
“I and my players knewthe importance of the game. We will have great support from home fans. Althoughwe play at the My Dinh which is smaller than the Bukit Jalil, we can make it aneven better atmosphere for our team.” said Park.
“I am aware of theincreasing number of Korean watching us. It is my honour to have such supportbut it is a slight burden. We will do our best to meet their demands. We don’twant to let them down,” said the 59-year-old coach.
Media reported that SBSchannel of the Republic of Korea has cancelled their scheduled programme tobroadcast the Vietnam vs Malaysia final.
It is due to theincredible increase of the number of people watch the tournament.
The watching rate hasrisen from 0.1 percent in the group round to 7 percent in the second half ofthe final first leg. It was said a record for a sport programme since 2010.
Famous commentators BaeSung Jae and Jang Ji Hyun will take charge of the SBS’s live coverage.
This is Park’s secondmajor final since he took charge of the national team 14 months ago.
If the first one, theAsian U23 Championship final, was a surprise, this one is predicted as Vietnamare considered one of the favourites.
“I have led Vietnam inbig events in China (U23 tournament in January) and Indonesia (Asian Games inAugust) but have not had the best results. I hope my players can make it happenthis time.”
“(Home game and bigcrowd of fans) are big motivation but also pressure for the players. So I askthe players to be calm and control themselves.”
Park said he chose thebest 23 players for the tournament with all of them being ready for every game.He would also pick the strongest ones for the final.
Striker Nguyen Anh Duc,who did not played the first leg match, joined Park at the conference.
The veteran was on thebench in the first leg and said if he had a chance to play on December 15 hewould give everything to make sure Vietnam win.
“I really want to have aplace in the first team tomorrow. If I have the chance, we will do our best tolift the cup and cheer with the supporters,” said Duc.
“From the beginning weplayed toward the final. Now it is the real final ahead. It will be a toughgame because we know Malaysia would also do everything to score. They play withhigh motivation and spirit. It will be pressure for us. We must overcome thatand follow the tactics,” he added.
Malaysian coach TanCheng Hoe, admitted it would be difficult at My Dinh but his players would playwith determination so that they can emerge on top.
“After the first leg,the result was favour for Vietnam but my players are very motivated andconfident,” said Tan.
The coach said in the December15 match he would welcome back three important players who missed the firstleg: Shaymi Safari, Syazwan Andik and Aidil Zafuan.
“The best 11 willpresent in Hanoi. It will be high intensity and I have asked them to maintainfocus, play with freedom and remain calm. I told them not put too much pressureon themselves and just enjoy playing in the final,” he said.
Goalkeeper FarizalMarlias who denied many Vietnam’s attempts in the previous match said Malaysiawere not afraid of being the team conceding goal first in the final.
He said it was normal infootball. His team conceded goals first in the two latest matches againstThailand and Vietnam but finally they finished with draws.
He said it was importantto stay calm in all situations and obey the team’s plan. The match will bekicked off at 7.30pm Hanoi time and will be aired live on VTV6 channel.
Coach Park Hang-seo isamong 12 winners of the Persons of the Year Award voted by the JournalistFederation of Korea, a prize given to recognise the ‘figures that have proudlyrepresented the Republic of Korea throughout the year” on Tuesday.
Other winners includeCEO Kim Ki Byung of Lotte Tour, Yeom Jae Ho of KoreaUniversity, governor Yang Seung Jo and CEO Oh Jang Kyo of AttoResearch. – VNS/VNA
