<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:PunctuationKerning /> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas />
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables />
<w:SnapToGridInCell /> <w:WrapTextWithPunct />
<w:UseAsianBreakRules /> <w:DontGrowAutofit />
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
</w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if
gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false"
LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]> <object
classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id=ieooui>
</object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }
</style> <![endif]--> <!-- /* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} -->
<!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in
5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400;
mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]-->
The Day We Went Our
Way
Tony
Dinh
HANOI 29 December 2008 – The
Vietnamese PM came to the My Dinh Stadium packed with more than
40,000 crazy fans late last night to be a special fan for
Vietnamese Squad. That brought a sense of something Abhisit has
brought to the Thai fans at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok: a bad
luck!
To understand that mentality, you
must trace back to the Destiny Final of Tiger Cup at Hang Day
Stadium. Having defeated the Thais with 3 goals to nil, we came to
the Final looking down the Sings. The then VN PM VVK was there
ready to touch the trophy for the first time. We doninated the
match and put the Sings into their defensive game. But, as a matter
of fate, the silly back of a Sing player named Sasi Kurma, who does
not really know how to keep the ball under his feet, robbed us a
bon-fire fest, and together with it the hope of the old, poor
PM.
Last night, however, the VN PM could
make a smile, perhaps at the difference between him and his Thai
counterpart. Having suffered a hard blow by Teerasil Dangda at the
21st minute, and when the extra-time rounds looming
large, a head goal by Nghe An born, star striker Le Cong Vinh at
the very last seconds of offical time sent Viet fans wild in Hanoi,
and other parts of this S-shaped country.
“Why so crazy with a levelling goal,
just a draw…”, my wife asked innocently.
“Cos we have defeated the Thais in
Bangkok in the first leg of the final, understand? We have held the
TROPHY”, I replied.
What ever the Thais, the Sings, the
Burs, the Malays or the Indos might think and say, we are
definitely THE CHAMPS!
Now is the time for us to forget all
hard and cruel facts of life to enjoy the mentality of
champions!
Mr. Peter Reid, why do you think
that your Sunderland tactics with long-range passes suitable to
small-build Thai players? You can never make something like “The
English Man Who Went Up A Hill But Went Down A Mountain” down here,
in SE Asia!
Sir. Henrique Calisto, why do you
know that Latin-styled technical footballing best for Vietnamese
players? It’s “The Gift of the Magi”.
Thank you, Sir, and the Golden Stars
(as the name dedicated to Vietnamese national football players from
now on) for bringging us a really BIG, FAT CHRISMAS and NEW
YEAR.
Somebody may ask me why I am so
crazy with such a regional title, as if we had won the World Cup.
The may never understand one thing. That’s mentality uniquely MADE
IN VIETNAM!
Tears of Pride and Happiness are
stretching down my cheek… til the New Year come!
The Queen’s “WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS”
at the moment? Well, it’s great!
