'We must have been luckier.'

On the afternoon of March 19, 2024, the Van Lang University team competed in the final round of the 2nd Vietnam Youth and Student Football Tournament - THACO Cup (TNSV THACO Cup 2024) against the Da Nang University of Sports and Physical Education team. The visiting team from Central Vietnam, with their athletic expertise, were considered the stronger side, but football truly holds many surprises.

The first surprise came in the 27th minute when coach Nguyen Vo Hoang Phu received a red card from referee Tran Ngoc Nho and was forced to leave the coaching bench, with the responsibility of "head coach" being transferred to assistant coach Tran Le Huy.

Earlier, the head coach of Van Lang University also received a yellow card.

Coach Nguyen Vo Hoang Phu leaves the coaching bench.

The Van Lang University team is considered a high-quality squad, with many technically skilled players and a cohesive playing style developed from long-term training under the guidance of coach Nguyen Vo Hoang Phu. The temporary absence of this coach likely caused some initial confusion among the student players. However, the "reluctant captain," Tran Ngoc Huy, subsequently led the team well during the remainder of the season.

Assistant coach Tran Le Huy (in the blue shirt) is humble about the team's results.

"It wasn't really difficult because the Van Lang team is used to pressure. When I stepped in to coach in place of Phu, I encouraged the players to adhere to the team's strategy before the match started. Today, the whole team was very relaxed. Van Lang's participation in the tournament was mainly for interaction and learning because the other teams were very strong. We play for the school, for the team, so there's no pressure or constraint. The school doesn't put any pressure on the players either," Coach Tran Ngoc Huy shared.

The second surprise came just minutes later, when the players of Van Lang University scored the opening goal from a free kick.

In the end, Van Lang University team secured a convincing 3-1 victory against Da Nang University of Physical Education and Sports. This win gives Van Lang University an advantage, bringing them closer to a spot in the quarterfinals of the 2nd Vietnam Youth and Student Football Tournament - THACO Cup 2024. However, coach Tran Le Huy still highly regards his opponent and humbly acknowledges that this result was largely due to luck.

Van Lang University had an outstanding performance against their highly-rated opponent.

"Maybe our team was luckier. The score doesn't reflect the whole story. The luckier team wins. We capitalized on our opportunities better. Maybe the Da Nang University of Sports team wasn't so lucky today. They are a professional team; from preparation to the players, they are very good. Today, our goal was to try to minimize the impact of the Da Nang University of Sports team to achieve the best possible result. Luckily, it exceeded our expectations," the interim coach of the Van Lang team commented.

An indispensable "ingredient" contributing to the victory of the Van Lang University team was the enthusiastic support from their large and passionate fan base. These foam pieces proved incredibly useful every time a player scored a goal.

In the final match of the group stage, Van Lang University will face Ton Duc Thang University.

In the final match of the group stage, Van Lang University will face the host team, Ton Duc Thang University. The pressure on Van Lang is less as they are not obligated to win to qualify for the quarterfinals, but they certainly cannot afford to be complacent because Ton Duc Thang University has both the home advantage and is a strong opponent with a rich history of achievements in student competitions.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/hlv-bat-dac-di-cua-dh-van-lang-khiem-ton-chac-la-doi-minh-may-man-hon-185240319211917378.htm