On the Lunar New Year's Day of 2022, Hanoi was overcast as the country's men's soccer team said goodbye to the Qatar World Cup two rounds early with a 1-3 defeat against Vietnam in the eighth round of the World Qualifying Tournament's Asian Zone Round of 12.
Before the war, the Vietnamese team lost seven consecutive games, coach Park Hang-su was under great pressure, and the Vietnamese domestic media and fans predicted the end of the "Park Hang-su myth".
However, Park Hang-su defended his dignity with a victory, leaving the embarrassment to our men's football team, who will now wave goodbye to Vietnamese soccer.
get out of class
Born in 1959 and a graduate of Hanyang University, Park Heng-suk had a successful playing career, captaining Seoul FC's predecessor, the Rakhee Gold Stars, and representing the South Korean national team once, before retiring from the game in 1989 and joining the coaching ranks.
He started as an assistant coach and has been in Korean soccer for more than a decade, and has also served as a fitness coach for the Korean national team.
On July 1, 2000, he rejoined the South Korean national team coaching staff as an assistant to Dutchman Hiddink, joining forces to create one of the most glorious moments in South Korean soccer history, helping South Korea reach the quarterfinals at home in the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan.
Hiddink's "run-first" soccer philosophy has had a profound impact on Park Hang-soo.
Immediately after finishing his work as an assistant coach for the Korean national team, Park Heng-soo took over the Korean U23 national team and led the team to the Busan Asian Games.
At that time, the team, which included Park Ji-sung, Lee Yong-pyo, Lee Tong-guk, and other future stars of Korean soccer, was defeated by Iran on penalties in the semifinals, and ended up winning only the bronze medal.
Subsequently, Park Hang-soo was fired by the Korean Football Association.
Years later, looking back on that experience, Park Heng-suk said, "We reached the quarterfinals in the World Cup, and the goal of the Asian Games was definitely to win the gold medal, and I have to admit that that tournament really didn't live up to expectations."
After that not-so-pleasant stint, Park returned to his old job as an assistant coach at Pohang Steelers.
Park Hang-su took over Gyeongnam FC as head coach in August 2005, leading the team to 4th place in the K-League, but later stepped down due to locker room conflicts.
Park Hyeong-su and Lee Cheon Soo reconciled later.
Park Heng-su became the head coach of Jeonnam Dragons at the end of 2007, after the sweet period, in 2009, during a training session, the international footballer Lee Cheon Soo bumped into Park Heng-su, and the assistant coach Ha Seok-boat tried to stand up for the old Park, but he didn't expect to be beaten up by Lee Cheon Soo, and then waved his sleeve away.
After Lee left the team and refused to play, Chonnam suspended his contract and issued a "K-League ban".
Park, who was a "victim", took over South Korea's military team Sangju Sangmu, and led the team to promotion from the second division twice, in the 2013 and 2015 seasons.
After the success of the second promotion, the contract expired Park Heng-su suddenly broke out, he blasted the military team training organization unreasonable to the media, slamming the team's strong military color, seriously interfering with the professional life of the players, which caused an uproar in South Korea.
The move saw Park Hang-soo fade right out of the mainstream Korean league.
After being idle for a small 1 year, he went to K3.
"I can't go back to the glory days I once had in Korea, the Korean soccer world has shut me out."
panic disorder
Park Hyeong-su suffered from "panic attacks" as he was constantly "dropped" and "dropped".
He said he almost died.
"When I was coaching Sangju Sangwu, there was a time when I went into shock in my room and I was laying there not being able to breathe and feeling like I was going to die."
"I was taken to the emergency room and after a thorough examination, the doctor said I was having a 'panic attack'."
From that time on, Old Park started taking medication and has continued to do so ever since.
Park, who was depressed and sick in Korea, talked to his wife about a change of scenery.
Vietnam extends an olive branch.
"At that time in Korea, I was going downhill as a head coach, so I wanted a challenge."
Old Park made it a point to look up the information, he found out that foreign head coaches in Vietnam only have a life expectancy of eight months in charge, he was a little worried and his wife got back to him:
"Cut the crap and get going, this is your last chance!"
In October 2017, Park Hang-su officially became the head coach of the Vietnam national team, together with the head coach of the U23 team.
Park Heng-su dozed off during the game
But questions followed one another, with Vietnamese media even digging up images of him dozing off during matches while coaching at Sangju Sangmu.
"When I first arrived in Vietnam, the general reaction of the masses was very pessimistic and they looked at me with suspicion, thinking that it would be difficult for me to make a mark."
Old Park's first big test was the U23 Asian Cup, held in January 2018 in his country.
He tailored a five-guard defense system for the Vietnam U23s, practiced hard on fitness, and actually achieved unexpected success.
In the group stage, Vietnam U23s finished second in the group after losing 1-2 to South Korea, winning 1-0 against Australia and drawing 0-0 with Syria.
Quarter-final, and Iraq in 120 minutes to 3-3 draw, penalty shootout 5-3 to take; semi-final, and Qatar in 90 minutes to 2-2, extra time are no achievement, penalty shootout 4-3 again win, into the final.
The final against Uzbekistan, played in heavy snow, saw the two teams draw 1-1 in the 90 minutes, and in the final minute of extra time, Sidorov killed off the match, leaving Vietnam as runners-up, but with the best result in history.
Nguyen Quang Hai, the leading player of Vietnam's 97th generation, shone, scoring five goals to end up second on the scorers' list.
The outposts have won back-to-back victories, and fans in Vietnam have taken to the streets to celebrate the successes with a sense of jubilation.
Our U23 team, as the host, failed to get out of the group, and many fans were touched by the spirit of the Vietnamese team and turned to support them.
At that time is also the first time we really began to feel that Fan Zhiyi's sentence, "the national soccer team to go on to lose Vietnam, Thailand lost after losing Vietnam, then lose Myanmar, the next no one to lose." I'm afraid that's going to come true.
Vietnam Hiddink
After the first hurdle, next up is the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.
Vietnam U23 won three consecutive group stage matches, topping Japan, and reached the quarterfinals with consecutive victories over Bahrain and Syria in the knockout rounds, before losing 1-3 in the semifinals to South Korea, where Son, Hwang Hee-Chan, Hwang Yi-Su and Kim Min-Ja play, to claim fourth and create the best-ever result.
The doubts disappeared, and Park Hang-su became a "national hero" of Vietnam.
Portrait of Park Hang-su and Ho Chi Minh
His portrait and the Korean flag have appeared on the streets of Vietnam, his quotes have appeared on Vietnamese high school exam papers, his biography has filled street bookstores, and some fans have even put his portrait alongside Ho Chi Minh, the "Father of the Nation" of Vietnam.
His achievements in Vietnam have also changed the way he is viewed in South Korea, and the old Park has become a "positive figure" again.
The oddity continues.
In 2018, Park Hang-su led Vietnam to another Suzuki Cup title after 10 years.
Park Hang-su leads the team to the cup
Nguyen Xuan Phuc, then Prime Minister of Vietnam, called the team to congratulate them after Vietnam reached the last eight of the 2019 Asian Cup, tying its best-ever finish.
In September of that year, Park Hang-su led the Vietnam National Olympics to China, with Hiddink led by China's National Olympics played a warm-up match, "master and disciple" ended up with Vietnam 2-0 end.
The course of the match and the result left Hiddink blue in the face, but he was nostalgic, "I have a good personal relationship with Park Hang-su and I know that he traveled to Vietnam some years ago, and I am heartily proud of what he has brought to Vietnam's soccer over the years."
Park Hang-soo has become the "Vietnam Hiddink".
In December, Park Hang-su led Vietnam to another Southeast Asian Games title after 60 years.
In 2021, Park Hang-su made Vietnamese soccer history again by leading Vietnam to the Asian Round of 12 of the World Qualifiers.
However, seven consecutive losses in the group stage have dimmed the aura of Park Hang-su, and the Vietnamese media said the team "needs to change".
Rumors are swirling about Park Heng-soo's dismissal.
That's when our men's soccer team, also in bad shape, showed up.
specialized field
Before the first meeting between China and Vietnam in the 12-team tournament, former international footballer Sun Jihai said in a soccer program, "In my impression, I and Li Tie as players, if it is to meet the Vietnamese team, we are in the locker room to chat, tell jokes on the field, just win a few problems."
But Vietnam is long past its prime.
Sun Jihai continued, "The most recent understanding of the Vietnamese team is that in 2019 Hiddink took the national Olympic team and the Vietnamese national Olympic team to play a game, the other side's coach coached the team into a very systematic way, winning us 2-0, and we are more passive. I remain cautiously optimistic that the difference in strength between the two sides will not be so great. If our team is 8 points, Vietnam is 7.5 points."
8 points vs. 7.5 points for a professional player who is, indeed, still a professional.
That game, the first half of the 0-0 draw, the second half of the 52nd minute, Wu Lei single knife was pounced, Zhang Yuning followed up to make up the shot to break the deadlock.
In the 75th minute, Stanley Wang connected with Wu Lei for a header to extend the lead to 2-0.
Just when we all thought the national soccer team had won, the Vietnam comeback began.
In the 81st minute, Nguyen Hoang Duc made a long pass from the center circle, and Hu Chin Cai, who came in as a substitute, picked his right foot from the right side of the penalty area past Wang Stanley Chiu, and then juggled his movement to score with his left foot to make it 1-2!
In the 90th minute, Nguyen Cong Phong crossed the ball from the left, Nguyen Quang Hai sent a left-footed behind-the-back ball in front of the top of the arc, Nguyen Chin Linh stepped forward to the penalty area and scored the ball, Vietnam equalized the score, 2-2!
Trailing → equalizing, whether it's one or two, has been played countless times by Vietnam over the past years.
This is also the biggest change Park Hang-su has brought to Vietnamese soccer, he has incorporated Hiddink's philosophy of "running above all" based on the Southeast Asian soccer's small and quick movement, and also injected the spirit of Korean soccer's relentlessness.
Only that day, it was not only Vietnam that was unremitting, but also our men's soccer team.
In the 5th minute of full-time injury time, Stanley Wang and Wu Lei once again connected, Stanley Wang left diagonal pass to the penalty area, Wu Lei in front of Nguyen Thanh Binh on the line of the penalty area down the ground shovel shot, 3-2, Wu Lei completed the second time to open the door + Whistle Blow.
After the match, Vietnamese players were very frustrated, while Park Hang-soo took the blame for the loss on himself, eventually commenting on our team, saying:
It's got a lot of potential.
Once again, Li Tie, who loves to blow the flowing sea, has been dismissed, and Li Xiaopeng has been appointed at risk.
As a result, Li Xiaopeng also failed to become the savior of China's men's football, came up to be "two sticks", triggering countless fans lined up to apologize to Li Tie.
In the 9th minute, Du Xiongyong rubbed a pass from the left side of the penalty area, Hu Jincai pressed Wang Sunchao on the line of the penalty area and scored a header, our team was 0-1 behind!
In the 16th minute, Pham Joon Hai slanted the ball from the right side of the penalty area line, Do Hung Dung inverted the triangle at the bottom line of the right side of the penalty area line back to Nguyen Chin Linh easily put the ball into the empty goal in the penalty area, China's team was 0-2 behind!
In the 76th minute of the second half, Nguyen Hoang Duc dipped to the right side of the center circle, and substitute Phan Van Duc drove two steps and then made a sudden shot 28 meters away from the goal, and our team fell behind 0-3!
The game was already out of suspense, the final moments of injury time, Xu Xin scored a goal for the national football team, but to no avail, 1-3, China's men's football team for the first time in the history of the loss to Vietnam.
Fan Zhiyi 9 years ago on the country's soccer prophecy came true, "face are not wanting" was crazy screen.
Park Hang-soo, who led Vietnam to its first win in the 12-team tournament and also the first win for a Southeast Asian team in the final round of the Asian final stage of the World Qualification Tournament, said:
"Vietnamese fans wanted to win so much, some said 'I can't do it', but everything has to have a process, and today we won, thanks to Vietnamese citizens, fans and players."
When someone laughs, someone cries, and when someone cries, they have to speak from the heart.
Li Xiaopeng apologized to the national fans at the conference: "also apologize to the players, the loss is mainly a problem with the planning before the game, the follow-up can not be remedied, the score is unacceptable, the players are very hard, but the pre-match encouragement is excessive leading to the players in a very nervous mood."
He also said:
The rise of the national soccer team is sooner or later, but it requires a generation of struggle.
The first day of the Lunar New Year is also the Vietnamese Lunar New Year.
leave (on a long journey)
After taking down China, Park Hang-soo went on to lead Vietnam to an away draw against Japan in the finale of the 12-team tournament, with Japan's captain, Maya Yoshida, apologizing to the Japanese fans who were there to watch the game after that match.
In May, he stepped down as head coach of the U23 team after the 31st Southeast Asian Games final, where the Vietnam U23 team led by Park Hang-su completed the defense of their title with a 1-0 home win over Thailand U23, with South Korean Kong Woong-gyun taking over.
In June, Park was invited to the Korean World School in Vietnam to talk to students about "career guidance," he said:
"I started playing soccer relatively late in life, but I've made it this year because I did my best in every tough moment, and we should never give up trying for our dreams."
Old Park is still known as a "filial son", his mother Baek Soon Jung is 100 years old.
Vietnamese President gives gift to Park Hang-su's mother
The elder Park returned to South Korea on vacation in June to celebrate his mother's birthday, and before leaving Vietnam President Nguyen Xuan Phuc personally met with Park Hang Su and gave his mother a birthday gift.
On October 17, the Vietnam Football Association (VFA) officially announced that it would not renew Park Hang-su's contract, which will end on January 31, 2023 when it expires.
Vietnam played three warm-up matches after the 12-team tournament, winning all three without conceding a goal, 2-0 Afghanistan, 4-0 Singapore, 3-0 India, and Vietnam's world ranking came to 96th.
The official of Vietnam Football Association wrote: Under the leadership of Park Hang-su, Vietnam has been maintaining its position as one of the strongest countries in Southeast Asian soccer, and is also the longest-ranked Southeast Asian country in the top 100 of the FIFA rankings. We are very grateful to Park Hang-su for his hard work and contribution over the past five years, and his success creates a great impetus for the Vietnamese soccer to reach higher goals in the future, and we wish Coach Park and his family good health and happiness.
For his part, Park Hang-su said: I will always remember the five years with Vietnamese soccer, I can fulfill my mission thanks to the support of the Vietnamese team, staff and Vietnamese citizens, I am very grateful for the love we have shown me, even if I leave, I will continue to work hard in the future as a way to repay our support.
At the beginning of the session, Park Hang-su was just a coach who couldn't fit in the Korean soccer world; by the time he left, he had become a legend in the history of Vietnamese soccer.
Old Park, who has experienced the ups and downs of life, is humble, he says:
"I'm not a hero, I'm just a soccer coach."
