Vietnamese Football: The wish behind the aspiration to rise

The image of Vietnamese football became brighter when Nam Dinh Club and CAHN Club flew high in the Asian tournament, but there was still a concern about a bigger dream for the future.

Vietnamese football goes out to sea

Last week, Vietnamese fans had the opportunity to smile proudly when both V-League representatives, Nam Dinh Club and CAHN, took to the field at AFC Champions League Two – considered the second most important club tournament in Asia.

The results were quite positive: Nam Dinh won convincingly against Ratchaburi (Thailand), while CAHN played an overwhelming match despite having to play on Beijing Guoan's field and almost got 3 points if not for Nguyen Filipp's mistakes.

Nam Dinh and CAHN clubs performed well in the opening match of AFC Champions League Two.

Looking at the way the two Vietnamese clubs prepare their forces, from selecting foreign players to building their playing style, shows seriousness, a new spirit, completely different from the image of Vietnamese football many years ago.

At that time, every time going out to sea, many Vietnamese football teams participated with the mentality of "just for the sake of it", and there were even cases of withdrawing from the tournament halfway, leaving a stain on the reputation and image of the country's football.

This time is different, both Nam Dinh and CAHN show clear ambition in their investment and not only represent themselves but also carry the mission of improving the position of Vietnamese football in the continental arena.

What shows that for the first time in many years, Vietnamese football is going out to sea not with a fearful mentality, but with a challenging spirit, daring to dream, daring to conquer.

The wish behind the aspiration to reach out

However, behind those positive results, there are still many things to worry about. In fact, Nam Dinh's victory or CAHN's encouraging draw has sparked debate about using too many foreign players.

Using many foreign players is completely in line with the tournament regulations, but it is difficult to be completely happy when the recent victories or draws of Vietnamese football representatives have not been truly consistent.

After the joy, many people hope that in the future there will be more Vietnamese players in the squad, instead of being alone like Hoang Anh.

The truth is that without quality foreign players, it is very difficult for Vietnamese clubs to stand firm against more experienced and classy opponents.

This reflects the considerable gap in the level of domestic players, which has not yet reached Asian standards. We cannot demand double standards – restricting foreign players while forcing us to win – while the foundation for developing local players is not strong enough.

Therefore, the biggest wish after today's aspiration to excel is that one day, Vietnamese football will produce more domestic players with enough courage and talent to play for clubs participating in the Asian Cup, not having to hide behind a nearly complete foreign squad.

Only then will success have its full meaning: not just the results on the scoreboard, but also the affirmation of the true identity and strength of Vietnamese football on its journey to rise.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/bong-da-viet-nam-dieu-uoc-phia-sau-khat-vong-vuon-minh-2444291.html