Vietnam captain Do Hung Dong has a bragging right for life.
The South Korean national team, led by Jürgen Klinsmann, 메이저놀이터took on Vietnam in a friendly A match at the Suwon World Cup Stadium on October 17 at 8pm.
South Korea ended their October A matches on a positive note with a 6-0 victory over Vietnam.
Vietnam’s trip to Korea was genuine. They paid for the match themselves.
Vietnam traveled to South Korea at the invitation of the Korean Football Association. However, this was a different approach.
Normally, invitational matches are paid for. Depending on the opponent, they may pay for accommodation and airfare. However, this match against Vietnam was an exception.
Aside from a small amount of money paid by the Korean Football Association, the Vietnamese were reportedly self-sufficient in terms of airfare, accommodation, and other expenses.
The head of the Vietnam Football Association had been pushing for the match against South Korea and had been in contact with them before the pandemic, but they managed to organize the match while paying for everything themselves.
Vietnam’s captain Do Hung Dong said, “This is a very valuable experience against a strong team. There are very few opportunities in life to play with world-class, World Cup-level players. It seems to confirm our tactical thinking,” he said, expressing his satisfaction with the match against Korea.
Vietnam head coach Philippe Troussier added: “We are facing a strong team, Korea. We have prepared a lot against a world-class team. We came with new players. It’s a process of building a team. We focused on that. The ultimate goal is to grow.”
Vietnam had a real ultimate goal in mind when they traveled to South Korea. Along with growth against a stronger opponent, there was a wish for a matchup with superstar Son Heung-min.
Son’s availability was unclear, as he was reported to have been playing through Tottenham Hotspur’s schedule at less than 100% recently in the aftermath of a groin injury.
Son played the full game against Vietnam. He was a dominant presence all over the pitch and opened the scoring, ending October’s A matches on a high note.
Son held a brief fan meeting. The Vietnamese players whipped out their phones to take pictures and sign autographs after the game.
Do Hung Dong realized his dream of playing against Son Heung-min while on the field.
“Son Heung-min is very nice,” Do says. All the other Korean players are like that. He seems to be very close to his teammates,” said Do, referring to an experience he’ll be able to brag about for the rest of his life.