Striker Anh Duc urges Vietnam to ignore criticism

HANOI: Forget about the past and think of what’s ahead.

Veteran striker Nguyen Anh Duc has urged his teammates to ignore the criticism hurled against them for their performance in the first leg of the AFF Suzuki Cup final against Malaysia on Tuesday and restore the faith of their home fans by winning the trophy.

Vietnam will clash with Malaysia in the second leg final at the MyDinh Stadium tonight (8.30pm Malaysian time).

Vietnam were leading 2-0 in the last leg but conceded two goals through set pieces. Vietnam have the away goal advantage, but they know that the Malaysian players have the confidence to cause an upset.

“Some of the players were stressed after the game against Malaysia because they conceded via set pieces and missed several chances,” said Anh Duc in a prematch press conference at the MyDinh Stadium in Hanoi yesterday.

“As an older player, I told them to think what’s ahead of them. Thinking about the past will get the team nowhere.

“In football, mistakes happen. All strikers will miss chances, but if they do their best, spectators will surely love them.”

Anh Duc is one of the top strikers in the team with three goals, but he did not start in the first leg final.

“Coach (Park Hang-seo) had his reasons for not fielding me. He wanted a different dimension. When I was on the bench, I was eager to play in front of the 80,000 fans in Bukit Jalil,” said the 33-yearold Becamex Binh Duong player.

“I guess it is fated for me to play in front of my home fans.”

Hang-seo, who was also at the press conference, said he had prepared the team well for the crucial game, and believes his players will not let the people down.

“This year, we did well in the AFC U-23 Championship in China and Asian Games in Jakarta, but we didn’t win these tournaments,” said Hang-seo.

“I want to give the fans the AFF Suzuki Cup. I believe my players can make it happen.”

Radio and television stations are constantly running shows related to the final to fan the fire among the local fans and inspire the players to win the trophy for the second time.

Vietnam last won the AFF Suzuki Cup in 2008 when they beat Thailand 3-2 on aggregate.