Asked difficult questions at the press conference, Coach Kim Sang-sik: Vietnam will decide its own fate in the big match against Malaysia

At 8:00 p.m. on June 10, the Vietnamese team will enter the important match of Group F - the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup, facing host Malaysia at Bukit Jalil Stadium - a place considered the "hotbed" of Southeast Asian football. Bukit Jalil is not only the largest football stadium in the region (with a capacity of more than 87,000 seats), but also one of the most terrifying destinations for any visiting team in the region. For Malaysia, this is a place that has witnessed many resounding victories, and they will not miss the opportunity to use home field advantage to put pressure on the Vietnamese team, an opponent they have not beaten in the past 10 years.

"The Vietnamese team will face difficulties but is determined to gain points"

On the morning of June 9, opening the press conference before the match, coach Kim Sang-sik said: "This is an important match and will be very difficult for us. The Vietnamese team needs to promote its strengths and play with the highest team spirit. Only then can we win points against Malaysia."

Bị hỏi khó ở họp báo, HLV Kim Sang-sik: Việt Nam tự quyết vận mệnh ở trận đại chiến Malaysia- Ảnh 1. — Coach Kim Sang-sik affirmed that the decisive factor in the match's outcome was the performance of the Vietnamese team's players.

Regarding the opponent's squad, the Korean coach commented: "As far as I know, there are 5 new players arriving in Malaysia. Of these, 18 out of 30 Malaysian players are of foreign origin. This makes it difficult for us. We don't have much information about these players. But for our part, the Vietnamese team is focusing on preparing the best before entering the match."

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At the press conference, several reporters asked coach Kim Sang-sik questions. One reporter asked a difficult question: "If there is no information about Malaysia, how does Mr. Kim plan to deal with it? Besides, the Vietnamese team has a good record against Malaysia. So, any result other than a victory against Malaysia, is that a failure for Vietnam?"

The captain of the Vietnamese team replied: "The nature of football is difficult, even when we have little or no information about our opponents. The result depends largely on ourselves. The Vietnamese team has a good record against Malaysia, even Duy Manh, who is sitting here, has experience. We will decide our own fate, not anyone else. Regarding the head-to-head record, I always try to think positively rather than put pressure on myself. We always focus on our training sessions, and will bring that spirit into the match against Malaysia."

Bị hỏi khó ở họp báo, HLV Kim Sang-sik: Việt Nam tự quyết vận mệnh ở trận đại chiến Malaysia- Ảnh 2. — Duy Manh said that the Vietnamese team has prepared well.

Attending the pre-match press conference with the head coach, Duy Manh shared: "This will be a difficult match for the Vietnamese team. However, we have prepared carefully, with reasonable tactics to have the best performance. The Vietnamese players will follow the tactics set out by the coaching staff."

Duy Manh added: "The Malaysian team is now different, from the coach to the players. They have many foreign-born players, very high quality. It will be a challenge, but we always have our own goals and determination, so we will play with our best. When the ball has not rolled, we do not know what will happen. We do not even know what we will eat tomorrow. Therefore, we will only know the result after 90 minutes of play. We must maintain the highest concentration for the match."

This encounter is of great significance to both teams, as the winner will have an advantage in the race for a ticket to the 2027 Asian Cup. In this final qualifying round, only the top team in each group will advance. After the first round, both Vietnam and Malaysia have 3 points. However, the superior goal difference (+5 compared to +2) helps the Golden Star team temporarily lead Group F. However, the wind will change direction if coach Kim Sang-sik and his team cannot get a favorable result against Malaysia.