At 23:45 GMT on October 7, the Vietnamese soccer team held a pre-match media conference in a tense atmosphere. At the conference, head coach Park Hang-su clarified earlier controversial remarks made by a media outlet about the physical fitness of Chinese players.
"Regarding the statement that Chinese players only have 30 minutes of fitness, that was not my intention. Such a statement is too intense and may cause unnecessary misunderstanding. I have not made such a statement, and such a statement may have a negative impact on the players of both teams." Park Hang-soo spoke in a firm tone.
Park Heng-soo spoke highly of the Chinese team: "China is a strong team and is slightly above Vietnam in the FIFA rankings. The team has not only naturalized players who have performed well, but also Wu Lei, who has made a big splash in the Spanish top league. We must recognize that every player in the Chinese team is a standout, with outstanding individual skills and excellent physical conditioning."
Talking about the assistance of assistant coach Park Chung-gyun, Park Heng-soo revealed, "During his tenure at Tianjin Tianhai, Park Chung-gyun, as my right-hand man, did provide me with a lot of valuable advice for my work. However, I will not disclose the specifics here. In fact, in addition to Park Chung-Kyun, I also have some Korean friends working in the Chinese Super League, and we have quite a few exchanges between us."
Park Hang-su emphasized, "Although I am Korean, I have been serving Vietnamese soccer for many years. This match means a lot to Vietnamese soccer and we will give our best."
