'Who will mention Thuong Chau in the future...'

U.23 Vietnam and Coach Park Hang-seo make a miracle

Today (January 27) marks the 7th anniversary of the 2018 AFC U23 Championship final. On the cold land of Changzhou, with a blanket of snow covering the pitch, Vietnam U23 achieved an extraordinary feat when they fought evenly with Uzbekistan U23 in the final. Coach Park Hang-seo and his team drew 1-1 until the last minute of the second extra time, before losing thanks to Sirodov's decisive goal on the opponent's side.

Despite losing at the last second and missing out on the crown of glory, U.23 Vietnam still had a tournament worthy of going down in history. Quang Hai and his teammates overcame a group with strong teams such as U.23 Korea, U.23 Australia and U.23 Syria. In the quarter-finals, U.23 Vietnam continued to defeat U.23 Iraq on penalties with a score of 5-4 (tied 3-3 after 120 minutes). In the semi-finals, Coach Park Hang-seo's students played one of the best matches that Vietnamese football has ever witnessed when they defeated U.23 Qatar with a score of 4-3 also on penalties (tied 2-2 after 120 minutes).

'Who will mention Changzhou in the future?'

The magical journey of U.23 Vietnam ended in the final seconds of the final match, in the cold snowstorm in Changzhou. The moment Quang Hai kicked a free kick with a rainbow trajectory that put the ball neatly in the net of U.23 Uzbekistan, the footage of Duy Manh planting the flag on the snow pile, or the image of the whole team straining to fight against a much stronger opponent rekindled the flame of faith in Vietnamese football, becoming a symbol of the fighting spirit of a resilient generation that never gives up.

"Who will mention Changzhou tomorrow..." is the title that FIFA's homepage dedicated to U.23 Vietnam. After 7 years, this tournament is still in the minds of fans with unforgettable memories. This is also a rare tournament that brought fans to the streets to celebrate, "storming" with the red flag with yellow stars shining brightly on every street. After the 2018 U.23 Asian Cup, Vietnamese football also set a series of memorable milestones: fourth place in the 2018 ASIAD, champion of the 2018 AFF Cup, reaching the quarterfinals of the 2019 Asian Cup and the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup. The era of brilliant success of Coach Park Hang-seo will always be a shining mark in the history of Vietnamese football.

After 7 years, Vietnamese fans poured into the streets to celebrate the 2024 AFF Cup championship. There, the heroes of Thuong Chau such as Quang Hai, Duy Manh, Xuan Manh, Tien Dung... all left a strong impression, helping the Vietnamese team return to the top of Southeast Asia.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/fifa-goi-nho-ky-niem-dep-cua-u23-viet-nam-mai-nay-ai-nhac-lai-thuong-chau-185250127184752905.htm