Soccer-born coach Park focused on pushing Vietnam to victory

Michael Church

(Reuters) – Monday marks the end of an era for Vietnamese football, with Park Han-seo leading the national team for the last time.

Vietnam will face defending champions Thailand in the second leg of the final at Thammasat Stadium on the outskirts of Bangkok. Thailand take the lead after his 2-2 draw in Hanoi on Friday. 65-year-old Park’s Mi Ding is his last game at the stadium. .

An assistant to Guus Hiddink as South Korea advanced to the 2002 World Cup semi-finals, Park has overseen the national team’s skyrocketing fortunes during his five-year tenure.

But with the end of his term nearing, Park is focused solely on getting the results right for his team.

“From the beginning of the contract until now, the players and I have always tried to do our best in each tournament, each match,” he said early in the tournament.

“It won’t change even if I resign after the tournament is over.

“We are focused on the next game and not thinking about what the last game will be (for me).”

After taking office in September 2017, Park led Vietnam to the semi-finals of the 2018 Asian Games and won the ASEAN Championship later that year.

In 2019, Park’s team reached the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup, losing 1-0 to four-time champions Japan. reached.

Park’s influence has been lauded at home, with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol awarding him the Order of Heung-in for promoting friendship between the two countries.

In Vietnam, the documentary was screened and sold out in movie theaters across the country.

Having previously said he plans to open an academy in Vietnam once his tenure ends, Park seems poised to continue helping the country pursue its first World Cup final qualification.

That goal looks closer than ever with Asia’s guaranteed quota increased to eight for the 2026 World Cup.

(Reporting by Michael Church, Hong Kong; Editing by Peter Rutherford)