National U23 team receives first-class Labour Order

President Tran Dai Quang decided to award the Labour Order, first class, to the national U23 squad for their successful journey at the ongoing Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U23 Championship in China, on January 26.

He also decided to present a third-class Labour Order to head coach Park Hang-seo from the Republic of Korea, midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai and goalkeeper Bui Tien Dung for their excellent performances during the tournament.

The Vietnamese U23 team will face Uzbekistan’s in the final at Changzhou Sports Centre at 15:00 pm on January 27.

Under Park, Vietnam ranked second in Group D with four points. They defeated Iraq in the quarter-finals and Qatar in the semi-finals, becoming the first Southeast Asian country to progress to the final of the championship.

Hai has scored four out of Vietnam’s seven goals, including the only one in Vietnam’s 1-0 win over Australia in the group stage, which played a decisive role in pushing the team to the second position.

Dung, meanwhile, was a hero in the goalmouth for Vietnam. He has saved four penalties in five matches, of which three were in the penalty shootouts in the quarter-final and semi-final games, leading to Vietnam’s victories.

(Source: NDO)