By Samindra Kunti
January 29 – In freezing and snowy conditions Uzbekistan clinched the AFC U-23 Championship with a dramatic extra-time winner from substitute striker Andrey Sidorov to break Vietnamese hearts in Changzhou, China. Despite the loss the Vietnamese team were still received as heroes back home.
Rarely does youth football captivate a nation, let alone enthral millions, but in Vietnam millions of fans watched the final of the AFC U23 Championship in China. Red-clad supporters in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and across the country convened to back their team. “More than 90 million Vietnamese people are behind you, cheering and following your every step,” said the Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.
The Vietnamese had knocked out regional heavyweights, like Iraq and Qatar, and Vietnam enjoyed the support of thousands of fans in Changzhou as Vietnamese travel agents offered last minute travel packages, but the fairytale ending was not supposed to be.
Early on, Rustamjon Ashurmatov gave the Uzbeks the lead from a corner kick. Nguyen Quang Hai equalised with a delightful free-kick around the half-hour mark. It was his fifth goal at the championship, making him one of the top scorers.
The Vietnamese played their part in difficult conditions and pushed their opponents all the way to extra-time but, ultimately, Uzbekistan struck in the 120th minute, again from a set piece, and striker Sidorov, who had just come on as a substitute for Javokhir Sidikov, made no mistake, exploiting poor man-marking in the Vietnamese box.
“We were so close,” said Quang Hai said after the match. “We could have played better but we failed. We have no words to thank the fans. They’ve been beyond marvellous. We got this far thanks to the fans who have always stood by our side.”
“They have never played in such weather condition,” said Vietnam’s Korean coach Park Hang-seo. “It was our biggest challenge. We had to give up on our signature style and found it difficult to adapt to weather conditions. It was snowing throughout the match and temperatures were freezing.”
“In over 40 years of coaching, this is the tournament I am most proud of,” explained Park, who was assistant to Dutch coach Guus Hiddink during the 2002 World Cup when South Korea finished fourth.
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