PETALING JAYA: Vietnam may be without their mercurial naturalised Brazilian striker, Nguyen Xuan Son (Rafaelson Bezerra), but they have a young forward ready to score.
Goal poacher Nguyen Dinh Bac is one option, but their 19-year-old English-born teenager Williams Minh Hoang is eager to prove he can be the Golden Star Warriors’ next goal phenomenon.
He hopes to make his mark against Malaysia in the FIFA Asean Cup third-place playoff at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta today (5pm, Malaysian time).
“Of course, every game is just as important as the next,” Williams, whose mother is from Vietnam, told FIFA.
“Our objective is to win. We had to get a positive result (the 4-2 win over Pakistan last Friday), especially so that we could play against Malaysia.”
Williams scored his first goal for Vietnam against Pakistan in only his third cap, and many expect him to become a future star of Vietnamese football.
He also played his part in the 1-0 win over the Philippines, came on as a substitute against Thailand, where they lost 0-2, and then scored against Pakistan.
“Personally, I thought I played well against the Philippines,” he said.
“There wasn’t too much happening, but I managed to get an assist, so that is good from a individual perspective.
“It was a very difficult game to come into as a substitute against Pakistan. But the whole team and I tried our best; we were just unlucky that day. Against Pakistan, I should have scored a hattrick, but I’m still happy to celebrate my first goal.”
Beyond the individual achievement, the win over Pakistan showed Vietnam’s ability to respond to adversity. Kim Sang-sik’s side fell behind and had to turn the match around after the interval.
“We showed our character and fighting spirit, came back and got the result we wanted,” said Williams.
Although the fixture against Malaysia will not decide the title, he insists it remains hugely important to his team.
