U22 Vietnam's overwhelming joy at Rajamangala

Coach Kim Sang-sik and his players erupted in victory after a 3-2 comeback win against Thailand in the final, securing the men's football gold medal at the 33rd SEA Games on the evening of 18/12/2024.

Thanh Nhan's goal in the 96th minute, which made the score 3-2, gave Vietnam a significant psychological advantage for the remainder of the two extra times. With only a few seconds left, the entire coaching staff and substitute players rushed to the sideline, anticipating the final whistle, then stormed the field to celebrate when Iranian referee Mooud Bonyadifard blew the whistle.

Substitute goalkeepers Nguyen Tan and Cao Van Binh were the quickest to embrace starting goalkeeper Trung Kien in celebration. In stark contrast to Vietnam's euphoria, Thai players bowed their heads, their faces showing deep sadness.

While Vietnamese team members celebrated, many host players slumped or covered their faces in disappointment. Thailand had a dream start and seemed poised for an easy victory, leading 2-0 within just 31 minutes. However, they faced strong resistance from Vietnam and ultimately lost.

Le Van Thuan was visibly emotional, on the verge of tears from the immense joy. The 19-year-old midfielder, brought on by coach Kim Sang-sik at the start of the second half, played a significant role in Vietnam's comeback. He delivered a corner kick that led to Waris's own goal, equalizing the score at 2-2 in the 60th minute. Early in the first extra time, Van Thuan's powerful shot inside the penalty area was not held by the Thai goalkeeper, creating an opportunity for Thanh Nhan to score the decisive rebound, making it 3-2. With more luck, he could have scored himself, as one of his shots hit a home defender and went wide.

This marks the Thanh Hoa player's second major tournament, and he shone brightly, contributing significantly to U22 Vietnam's SEA Games gold medal victory. Previously, in 7/2024, Van Thuan was also part of the squad that won the U23 Southeast Asian Championship in Indonesia.

Nguyen Thanh Nhan received a flag from a fan and immediately ran around to celebrate. Teammate Quoc Viet also got a pith helmet and prepared to wave a flag, joining the festivities.

Coach Kim Sang-sik stayed behind, as is customary, to shake hands with his Thai counterpart, Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul, and the referees. However, he appeared eager and quickly completed the ritual before rushing to the corner of the stands, where his players were celebrating with fans.

Tran Quoc Tuan, President of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), shook hands and celebrated with the players as they approached the stage for the medal ceremony. This year's SEA Games championship further affirms the success of the youth development strategy pursued by the VFF and Vietnamese football for many years, with successive generations of players bringing glory to the nation.

Dinh Bac (number 7) put his arm around his exhausted teammate Hieu Minh, joining the celebration with fans. The striker from Nghe An also acquired a pith helmet for photos during the post-match celebration.

The players cheered coach Kim Sang-sik after receiving their medals. Having started working in Vietnam in 5/2024, the coach quickly achieved success. He is the first coach in Vietnamese football history to win titles in all three initial official tournaments: leading the national team to win the ASEAN Cup 2024, guiding the U23 team to the Southeast Asian Championship, and securing a SEA Games gold medal with the U22 team.

Most of the current U22 squad members were part of the U23 team that won the Southeast Asian Championship, where they also defeated another host nation, Indonesia, to claim the title. However, achieving a similar feat against Thailand in their home stadium, Rajamangala, brought even greater emotion and excitement to the entire team.

Following the SEA Games championship, Vietnamese football will focus on its next major goal: qualifying for the Asian Cup 2027. The generation of players who won gold at Rajamangala today promises to be a rich source of talent for coach Kim's future plans.

This is the third time since rejoining regional sports in the early 1990s that Vietnam has won the men's football gold medal. The two previous wins were in 2019 in the Philippines and 2021 on home soil.

Today's 3-2 victory is particularly special as it marks the first time Vietnam has come back from a two-goal deficit against Thailand to win. It was even sweeter that the match took place at the Rajamangala cauldron, with thousands of Thai spectators, in the SEA Games final.

The Vietnamese players took a commemorative photo with their gold medals. The 3-2 result in the final means Vietnam achieved a perfect record in men's football at this year's SEA Games. Previously, the team defeated Laos 2-1 and Malaysia 2-0 in the group stage, then beat the Philippines 2-0 in the semi-finals.