Vietnam’s Under-23 squad fought to a 1-1 draw with Thailand in the opener of the men’s football event at the 25th South East Asian Games in Vientiane on Wednesday.

“Before firing the penalty shot, I was under great pressure because I knew millions of Vietnamese people were expecting a success,” Tung said. “I was very happy after I was successful. I will try to play well in the next matches.”

Thailand looked a bit better than Vietnam and its coach Steve Darby didn’t expect a draw but that was what happened.

The young Vietnamese players deserve to be lauded for their high spirits and tireless efforts against arch rivals Thais.

Speaking after the match, Vietnam team coach Henrique Calisto said, “Dinh Tung came off the bench in high spirits. He is a good player in the team.”

The Portuguese tactician said he was pleased with the final score because, he said, a draw was better than a loss anyway.

“My players didn’t play well in the first half but they did a good job in the second and deserved to have one point,” Calisto said.

Calisto said he had no comments about the penalty kick the referee offered Vietnam.

Thai team coach Darby said his players played well but it was a pity that they were held to a draw due to a penalty kick in the final minute of the match.

However, Darby said he had no more comments about the situation because it was part of football. He added that the result was not too bad for his team.

Source: Thanh Nien