{"id":7561,"date":"2021-06-14T17:59:06","date_gmt":"2021-06-14T09:59:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/?p=7561"},"modified":"2022-03-23T11:42:15","modified_gmt":"2022-03-23T03:42:15","slug":"van-toan-shirts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/van-toan-shirts\/","title":{"rendered":"Footballer V\u0103n To\u00e0n Releases “It’s Real” Shirts After Penalty Kick From Fall In Vietnam-Malaysia Match"},"content":{"rendered":"

Footballer V\u0103n To\u00e0n releases \u201cit\u2019s real\u201d shirts after Vietnam-Malaysia match<\/h2>\n
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The 2-1 win against the Malaysian team last Friday was a crucial victory for the Vietnam national football team. With it, our boys pretty much guaranteed their chance of going to the next round of the World Cup qualifiers.<\/p>\n

A large contributor to this success was a penalty granted to the Vietnam team at the 80th minute, after its striker Nguy\u1ec5n V\u0103n To\u00e0n was intercepted in the Malaysian team\u2019s penalty area.<\/p>\n

However, a lot of Malaysian fans think the penalty was underserved, claiming V\u0103n To\u00e0n fell on purpose to cheat his way to victory. Many even sought out the footballer\u2019s Facebook page to post criticism.<\/p>\n

However, in the face of all the backlash, V\u0103n To\u00e0n found an ingenious way to turn the tide to his favor. He launched a new T-shirt model<\/strong> to make use of the increasing traffic and interactions on his Facebook page for free advertising.<\/p>\n

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The Vietnamese footballer was bashed after his controversial fall<\/h3>\n
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\"nguyen
\nNguy\u1ec5n Ti\u1ebfn Linh, who scored the first goal for Vietnam in the match<\/em>
\nImage credit: Vov<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The victory against Malaysia was a hard-fought one for Vietnam. While our team pulled ahead early with a goal from Nguy\u1ec5n Ti\u1ebfn Linh after 27 minutes, Malaysian player Guilherme de Paula Lucr\u00e9cio evened the score at the 73rd minute in a penalty.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until the 80th minute that a turning point happened. While holding the ball inside the Malaysian penalty area, Vietnamese striker Nguy\u1ec5n V\u0103n To\u00e0n was fouled by Malaysian defender Brendan Gan, causing him to fall. Referee Ryuji Sato<\/a> deemed it fit to give Vietnam a penalty, which Captain Qu\u1ebf Ng\u1ecdc H\u1ea3i capitalized well on, scoring the game-winning goal.<\/p>\n

\"van
\nNguy\u1ec5n V\u0103n To\u00e0n in a play with a Malaysian player<\/em>
\nImage credit: VNexpress<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

However, following the match, V\u0103n To\u00e0n found his Facebook feed flooded with comments from angry Malaysian fans, who claimed he feigned his fall to earn his team an unfair advantage.<\/p>\n

But if there\u2019s one thing we know about V\u0103n To\u00e0n, it\u2019s that he has a knack for turning unfavorable situations into opportunities, both on the pitch and off.<\/p>\n

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He released a new T-shirt model based on the trendy event<\/h3>\n
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\"van
\nV\u0103n To\u00e0n advertising his new shirts<\/em>
\nImage credit: Nguy\u1ec5n V\u0103n To\u00e0n<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t take long for V\u0103n To\u00e0n to realize the massive spike in engagements on his Facebook page, courtesy of both Malaysian fans who came to criticize and Vietnamese fans who spoke up to defend him. Immediately, he came up with the creative idea of releasing a T-shirt model based on the trendy event, relying on the heated discussions to provide him with free marketing.<\/p>\n

The shirts show V\u0103n To\u00e0n\u2019s own silhouette, posed as he was during his controversial fall. Behind it is the text \u201cIt\u2019s real\u201d \u2013 implying that he wasn\u2019t faking.<\/p>\n

\"van
\nThe shirts bear V\u0103n To\u00e0n’s pose as he fell during the match<\/em>
\nImage credit: VTV<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you have a talent for business, but your parents want you to play football,\u201d To\u00e0n quirkily captioned an advertising photo of himself wearing the new T-shirt.<\/p>\n

\"fans
\n\u201cWhere can I get one of these shirts? I want to buy one for my son who\u2019s your fan!\u201d<\/em>
\nImage credit: Mai Nguyen<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

And indeed, many fans found his ingenuity amusing and have asked to buy a shirt to show their support.<\/p>\n

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V\u0103n To\u00e0n uses controversy to advertise for his new shirts<\/h3>\n
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If you must know, the penalty brought by V\u0103n To\u00e0n\u2019s fall was fair and well-deserved. Even Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh, former chairman of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) Referees Committee, admitted that in an interview with Malaysian newspaper Berita Harian<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

We understand that Malaysian fans are upset at their team\u2019s loss, as they have every right to be. However, arguing about it is only going to undermine the spirits of sportsmanship \u2013 which is what all sports should value above all else.<\/p>\n

So we say, to both Vietnamese and Malaysian fans: it\u2019s time to let the matter rest. Regardless of who won, the players from both sides gave us a thrilling match. Let\u2019s show respect to them by being civil, even if we might or might not be happy with the result.<\/p>\n

For more stories, check out:<\/p>\n