Duy Manh blames Thai players for playing dirty: 'Playing in Japan is like that'

Immediately after Thailand scored an unsportsmanlike goal, Vietnam team captain Do Duy Manh immediately rushed to talk harshly with the opposing player. The 1996-born center-back revealed the conversation with words of reproach towards Supachok Sarachat - the player who took the shot when he should have returned the ball in the spirit of fair play.

" I told Supachok, 'Why did you play like that? You're playing in Japan and that's not allowed.' The opposing team's player said he didn't know if the Vietnamese team was really in pain or pretending to be," Duy Manh recounted the controversial situation.

Vietnam team beat Thailand, won AFF Cup 2024.

The referee explained to coach Kim Sang-sik and the Vietnamese players that there was nothing else he could do. In fact, the Thai player had scored an unsportsmanlike goal but it was still legal. The referee suggested that the Vietnamese team negotiate with their opponents to compensate for a goal, and then he also talked to the Thai coaching staff about this. However, the home team refused.

"Supachok must feel ashamed. When the referee recognized the win, the teacher reminded the players to turn back. This is a necessary detail. The players focused, played hard and won the final victory," Duy Manh said.

Defender Nguyen Thanh Chung and midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai also jumped into an argument with Supachok. Thanh Chung revealed that because of his limited English, he could only say one sentence about how Supachok should not have done that if he played in Japan.

Goalkeeper Nguyen Dinh Trieu felt guilty about this goal. Although Supachok played dirty and the shot was too difficult, the Vietnamese goalkeeper thought he should have cleared the ball further.

"I should have handled it differently, maybe kicked it further. I feel a bit guilty about that situation, but right after that, I had to focus on doing well in the remaining situations," Dinh Trieu shared. At the end of the match, he received the award for best goalkeeper of the AFF Cup 2024.