Japanese coach unexpectedly praises a Hanoi FC player

Becamex TP.HCM lost to Hanoi FC despite leading, coach Ueno Nobuhiro regretted the result but particularly praised goalkeeper Minh Toàn's excellent performance.

After a regrettable comeback loss to Hanoi FC, Becamex TP.HCM left the field with much disappointment despite a favorable start. At the post-match press conference, coach Ueno Nobuhiro could not hide his disappointment, but also pointed out rare positive aspects, especially the outstanding performance of goalkeeper Minh Toàn – who repeatedly saved the team.

Initially, the Japanese strategist frankly acknowledged that the result did not reflect his players' efforts: “Congratulations to Hanoi FC on their victory. Today our players gave their utmost effort but could not achieve the desired outcome. From the very first minutes, we scored from a counter-attack situation, however the team could not maintain the favorable result until the final minute of the match. I am very sad about this result for the whole team.”

Despite conceding many goals, Minh Toàn remained one of the rare bright spots in Becamex TP.HCM's lineup. Under continuous pressure from the opponent, this goalkeeper made several crucial saves, helping the team avoid a heavier defeat. That precisely led coach Ueno Nobuhiro to give him special praise.

When asked about this goalkeeper's role, he affirmed: “To me, Minh Toàn is always an extremely high-quality player, not only in this match but also in previous ones. He consistently maintains excellent form, carries the burden, and helps the team through each match. I am very grateful for Minh Toàn's performance today.”Not stopping there, the Japanese coach also placed greater expectations on his student: “It's not just about comparison; to me, Minh Toàn is always an outstanding player. I hope Minh Toàn can demonstrate excellent performance to aim for the national team level.”

Besides individual highlights, coach Ueno Nobuhiro also frankly pointed out issues Becamex TP.HCM must address if they do not want to continue sliding. He emphasized: “In upcoming matches, we want to improve the mistakes from this match as well as the previous one, such as situations leading to penalty kicks or not marking tightly during crosses. We want to improve those situations to aim for better results in the next match.”

Closing the press conference, the captain of Becamex TP.HCM reaffirmed the team's fighting spirit for the upcoming journey: “The team always strives in each match to achieve the best results, avoiding falling into the lower group of the standings. Although today the team did not get a good result, I want to continue working with the whole team to improve, train to perform better and achieve more favorable results in upcoming matches.” Given what has been shown, Becamex TP.HCM clearly still has much work to do if they want to turn the situation around.