Việt Nam most successful team after second regional U23 championship

Việt Nam win second AFF U23 Championship trophy in a row, becoming the most successful team in the region on August 26 in Thailand.

Players hugged coach Hoàng Anh Tuấn and threw him into the air to celebrate their AFF U23 Championship title which made Việt Nam the most successful team in the region on August 26 in Rayong, Thailand.

Việt Nam beat Indonesia 6-5 after a penalty shootout in the final at the Rayong Provincial Stadium.

After four editions, Việt Nam have won two in 2022 and 2023. Thailand took the first first title in the inaugurate event in 2005 before Indonesia championed in 2019.

The win was also the first title in the career of the 2017 World Cup U20 coach Tuấn who was extremely happy in the post-match conference.

“We had a tense match but I am happy because I have earned my first title with a national squad," said Tuấn.

"I am also pleased with my players in this tournament. Our plans were to call up young players. Many at the age of 17, 18 and 19 were given a chance to play. My players showed their maturity and we not only won but also became champions with the youngest players among all the competitors.

"They were asked to be focused. They had to work hard with the best possible efforts. Players were a little tense after missing the penalty in official time but they were still determined until the end."

The 55-year-old revealed that the Vietnamese team also practised spot kicks a lot prior to the final.

He said: "They have been training with me for a long time, at least a year and at most three years. So I clearly understand the strong points of each of them. We predicted the match would be decided by penalty kicks and the match was exactly as we expected.”

Speaking about his hero goalkeeper Quan Văn Chuẩn who denied the last Indonesian penalty to bring home the victory, Tuấn said a goalkeeper was worth half of a team and his mistakes in the previous match were overstated and could be made by many other goalkeepers.

"At the young football level, we should put trust in players, especially the goalkeeper. We should give them a chance to correct their mistakes. Chuẩn is a potential custodian of Việt Nam. He would not receive the Best Goalkeeper award today if I sidelined him due to his poor performance in one or two games,” he said.

In addition to Chuẩn's award, Việt Nam also has striker Đinh Xuân Tiến earning the Top Scorer statue. Tiến was honoured together with Malaysian Aliff Akmal Rizal as they both scored three goals.

After their brilliant celebration, the champions enjoyed a VNĐ1 billion (US$41,600) bonus for the victory. In total, they pocketed $74,900 for this campaign.

Coach Shin Tae-yong of Indonesia blamed referee mistakes that led to his team's defeat while Indonesian Football Federation PSSI chairman Erick Thohir was proud of their players.

During the match, Shin was angry several times on the sidelines regarding the referee's decisions. He even was shown a yellow card for his actions before the end of normal time.

He said there were a number of adverse decisions, including when Indonesia had a chance to score but was deemed offside, even though in replays it was very clear not at all.

"I've mentioned before. The referee can change the game. You have to review this match," said Shin whose hopes of earning his first title with Indonesia came crashing down.

Chairman Thohir conveyed a message after the failure. His party asked the troops to maintain their enthusiasm and motivation.

"I thank you for the struggle of all the players and coaching staff. With the material of many debutants, in fact, we can still speak at the top level in Southeast Asia," Erick was quoted on the PSSI's official website.

"The AFF U23 Championship is part of the process. No team in football can be successful without having a clear system, roadmap and agenda. With all the risks PSSI strives to be disciplined in the agreed system, roadmap and agenda, including participation in the AFF U23 event."