Foreign media praise Vietnam U23 team's performance
VOV.VN - Vietnam became the runner-up at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U23 Championship after losing 1-2 to Uzbekistan in the final in Changzhou, China, on January 27.
Coach Park Hang-seo’s strong spirit has been widely praised. Indonesia’s Bola Akurat sports newspaper praised the strong spirit of the Vietnam U23 team despite playing in snow. The newspaper reviewed the Vietnamese team’s achievements at the tournament saying it marked a milestone in modern Southeast Asian sports.
On the Fox Sports, John Duerden covered Vietnam’s victory and Vietnamese football fans. "It may not have been the fairy-tale ending that Vietnam were dreaming of but John Duerden believes Vietnam have won the real prize at the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship", Fox Sports reported. He wrote the Vietnam U23 team has been supported by millions of fans in the country as well as in the rest of Southeast Asia. All people were united in their support for the Golden Star.
The Fox Asian Football described the Vietnamese team’s efforts as the victory of bravery saying it’s time for Vietnamese football and ASEAN football in general to play in bigger tournaments.
AFP shared its impression with Vietnamese fans’ sentiment for the U23 team. It wrote “A final of the younger football players has received crazy support as it is has been followed with the favor of a World Cup final in the Southeast Asian nation following the meteoric rise of the young squad who have united a country with few tastes of sporting glory on the world stage.
The under-23 team was the first Southeast Asian side to reach the final of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U23 Championship, blowing past regional heavyweights like Iraq and Qatar."