I’m superstitious again!

Just the other day, I was still absolutely loyal to my “traditional superstition strategy” whenever my team played football:

• only watch the first half,
• turn off the TV and climb into bed “to avoid bad luck,”
• then sometime around midnight or near dawn, secretly open VNExpress to check the result, and read a few comments praising Vietnam to help me sleep better.

But after the Vietnam–China semifinal, this strategy seemed to lose its magic. So I decided… to switch tactics.

Last night, I didn’t turn on the TV at all. I only checked VNExpress from time to time, reading the text commentary just to keep my luck intact. When I saw Vietnam leading South Korea 1–0 after the first half, the superstition kicked in immediately:

That’s it — no second half!

At 4 a.m., I woke up, nervously opened my phone…

Oh wow!

Vietnam beat South Korea 7–6 on penalties, after a nail-biting 120 minutes that ended 2–2 right at the death.

Third place at the AFC U23 Asian Cup — that’s a beautiful result already.

The Golden Star Warriors were absolutely magnificent! ️️️

I do feel a bit sorry for Coach Kim — a Korean — who must have had mixed emotions deep down:

on one side, the team from his homeland;

on the other, the team he’s been pouring his heart and soul into coaching.

And in the end, together with Vietnam, he knocked South Korea out of a prestigious Asian tournament.

A win like this is joyful, for sure — but probably a little bittersweet too.

—

Looks like changing the way I watch football really does work.

And so…

I’m superstitious again!!!

—

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

A fan named Boussaha Chiheb commented from Qatar. Reading it was genuinely… heartwarming:

“This match feels like a final. Vietnam was truly resilient with 10 players, and South Korea couldn’t do anything. I felt like the loss to China was a curse. It was unbelievable. Six matches, only one loss — they deserved to be champions. Congratulations.”

(From Qatar)

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Mr. Old Man, 24.01.2026