Thai media laud Vietnamese midfielder’s maiden goal

After starting from the bench for a long time, Truong played from the start in a Thai League game between his club and Nakkhon Ratchasima.

In the 21st minute, after Buriram United were given a free kick, Truong stepped up to take it and essayed a beautiful curved kick from a distance of 23 meters into the top corner of the goal.

This was the first goal Truong scored for Buriram United since he joined the Thai club on loan in February. For the rest of his time in the match, Truong played well to protect the lead before being subbed out in the 65th minute. Buriram United scored another goal later to win 2-0.

Truong thanked his teammates and fans for supporting him for the past few months.

"I’m so happy with this goal. I want to express my gratitude to my teammates who helped me a lot during my time at the club. I also want to thank the fans who have always supported me," Truong said in the post-match interview.

"I was thrilled when I found my name on the starting line for this game. I will continue to do my best in the coming matches," he said.

Thai media were full of praise for his performance.

"Xuan Truong returns, opens Buriram’s door to 2-0 victory" is the headline of Sport MThai.

"Buriram dominated the game and in the 21st minute, Luong Xuan Truong shone. From a ‘lovely’ distance, Truong used his right foot to draw a beautiful curve past the fence and opened the scoreboard," it wrote.

Sports site Goal Thailand also praised Truong with the headline "Xuan Truong scores super free kick! Buriram wins 2-0," carrying a photo of him celebrating his goal. The site also said that Truong’s free kick was "unstoppable" and that the goal was a turning point for Buriram.

The Thai version of FOX Sports uploaded the video of Truong’s free kick with a compliment: "Luong Xuan Truong leads Buriram to victory."

The goal will give Buriram United coach more reason to put Truong in the starting line. Truong has also improved his chances to get a spot in the Vietnam national football team for King’s Cup 2019, which will take place in June.

Truong, 24, earlier also made his mark on debut at the AFC Champions League last month. In the game where Buriram United lost 1-3 to Chinese side Beijing Guoan, Truong provided the assist to Buriram’s only goal.

Truong has been a regular face in Vietnam’s football teams, from the youth to national level. He has played for Vietnam in the AFC U23 Championship, Asian Games, the AFF Cup (which Vietnam won) and the Asian Cup 2019.