The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has listed six Asian footballers who can shine at the 2019 Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates, including Vietnamese midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai.
“The golden boy of a young and exciting generation of Vietnamese footballers, attacking midfielder Quang Hai rose to particular prominence at the 2018 AFC U23 Championship where his five goals helped lead his nation to a runners-up finish in China,” the AFC stated on Wednesday.
The 21-year-old continued his fine form in Indonesia over seven months later, scoring the only goal in an impressive 1-0 win over eventual runners-up Japan to secure top spot in Group D, reports Xinhua news agency.
“Quang Hai was part of the Vietnam side that then eliminated Bahrain and Syria to ultimately finish in fourth place, although his memories of the tournament will remain bitter sweet after missing a penalty in the shootout for the bronze medal against the United Arab Emirates,” stated the AFC.
Besides the Vietnamese midfielder, the AFC has named Chinese midfielder Wei Shihao, South Korean striker Hwang Ui-jo, DPR Korean striker Kim Yu-song, United Arab Emirates goalie Mohamed Al Shamsi, and Uzbekistan midfielder Ikromjon Alibaev.