TRAN THANH DEDICATES HISTORIC VICTORY TO VIETNAM FANS
Strong mentality and fighting spirit. Though seemingly speechless at first, those were the words of Vietnam’s coach Hoang Anh Tuan after witnessing…
Embodying these characteristics on the pitch was No17 Tran Thanh, whose performance on the night will almost definitely be a major topic for conversation among Vietnamese fans in the coming days. The young striker’s sublime chip not only sealed Vietnam’s historic place in FIFA U-20 World Cup Korea Republic 2017 next May, it ended abruptly hosts Bahrain’s journey in the AFC U-19 Championship Bahrain 2016.
Still visibly surprised by the scale of the achievement, Vietnamese striker Tran Thanh needed some time to find his composure. “When my shot found the net, I was speechless. It is still very difficult to express my feelings in words. I am very, very happy,” he told the-AFC.com.
The teenager dedicated the landmark victory to the Vietnamese fans adding, “I would like to thank the people of Vietnam for their support and I must dedicate this victory to them. We could not have achieved this result without their support.”
He also paid tribute to his coach for instilling a sense of belief in the team and executing a perfect game plan. “Our coach laid out a very good strategy for this game and every one of us implemented it, which helped us achieve our aim,” he said.
“We may not be that strong on paper but we have proved to the world that Vietnam football cannot be taken lightly. We are determined to do well and step by step we have succeeded in achieving our first target.
“We are in a celebratory mode at this moment. We will think of our next opponents tomorrow. We would like this feeling to sink in first before we contemplate on our next rivals,” he said on their possible semi-final opponents.
With the determination and dynamism of this young Golden Stars side, Vietnam football could very well be on the edge of unveiling a new, strong-willed and spirited golden generation.
