“I never complain about referee’s decision. I watched again the video clip about Tien Dung’s goal. Apparently, it was not the right decision. But it was tough for him. Not every decision the referee makes is accurate.”

Speaking of the collision after the match between Vietnam coaching team and Thailand’s, Park claimed that Akira Nishino’s assistant deliberately provoked him: “Thailand seemed to play a psychological warfare against me. A foreign assistant coach sometimes smirked at me during the match. If he really wants to provoke me, I'm ready.”

Park Hang-seo said Thailand assistant coach smirked at him many times during the match.

Park also confirmed a news report that Anh Duc will retire from the national team: “Anh Duc played well this year in the national team. He also performed well in AFF Cup last year. He has been successful in building his influence as a senior in the national team. Anh Duc suffered an injury in the V-League and underwent a long period of treatment. He told me of his plan to retire. I reported it to VFF. Actually, I want to him to stay. But he said younger players need more chance to play. I respect his decision. Today he announced the decision in front of the whole team. I really want to give him more in his last match.”

Regarding Vietnamese players’ mistakes, Park said: “ Football is sometimes irrational. No match is perfect. We only improve it by practicing a lot to minimize mistakes. We will play the next match in March next year. I think from now on, I will have time to assess and revise the positions. In the meantime, I have no comment.”

Park said he is not satisfied with the draw but recognizes the positive signals from his players’ performance: “I am disappointed with the outcome, so is Nishino. We never satisfy with a draw. We want a win which brings joy for us. Today, we didn’t let Thailand win, which was a kind of success for us. We will no longer be defeated by them easily.”

When asked about his evaluation of Vietnam’s first 5 matches, the head coach candidly said: “I will make a more detailed assessment in the time to come, not now because it gives me a headache. I have to travel to Ho Chi Minh City tomorrow to prepare for the SEA Games!”