▲ Park Hang-seo, coach of Vietnam soccer team
Vietnam's 22-year-old U-22 football team, led by Park Hang-seo, will be hunting for the first gold medal in 60 years of Southeast Asia (SEA) games.
Park hang out against Indonesia in the SEA Games football finals at the 8 pm local time in the Manila Rizal Memorial Stadium in the Philippines.
Park wins the gold medal for the first time in the 60-year history of SEA Games football, which began in 1959.
Although South Vietnam lifted the championship cup in their first tournament, it is different because it was achieved by the South team before Vietnam was unified.
Vietnamese local media have not mentioned Vietnam's victory at all.
Vietnam's national soccer team has won several championships in the Suzuki Cup, hosted by the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), but is hungry to win in the SEA games, which have the pride of Southeast Asian countries.
It is also 10 years since 2009 that Vietnam has reached the final of the SEA Games.
Expectations from Vietnamese football fans, as Park never kneeled against other Southeast Asian national teams in a number of football matches over the past two years after taking over the Vietnam National Football Team (A Team) and U-23 National Command Tower in October 2017. Is bigger than ever.
Park said at a press conference the day before, "As a beloved soccer coach who works in Vietnam, I have received a lot of support and love from the Vietnamese people," he said. "I feel responsible for the success of the finals."
As a result, it is expected that large-scale street cheering will take place in Vietnam.
Some private companies are known to finish their work quickly and prepare for a group cheering with their employees.
There are many soccer fans who are watching the game and cheering for Park Hang-seo, and Vietnam Airlines added 6 passengers to Manila this morning.
The Vietnamese women's soccer team, who won two consecutive games at the SEA Games Women's Soccer on the 8th, also decided to cheer for Park Hang-seo.
The local media reported that the advertising fee for Vietnam's state-run TV, which broadcasts the game, rose dramatically.
(Photo = Yonhap News)