Vietnam national team beat U22 Vietnam in internal practice match

In preparation for the crucial match for a ticket to the 2027 Asian Cup finals against Malaysia, the Vietnamese team had a closed internal practice match with U22 Vietnam. The match took place in 3 rounds, each round lasting 30 minutes.

Through this practice match, coach Kim Sang Sik will most accurately assess the form and adaptability of the new faces, before finalizing the squad for the Vietnam team to play Malaysia.

Coach Kim Sang Sik used naturalized player Cao Quang Vinh in the starting lineup. The Korean strategist wanted to carefully check the ability of the Hanoi Police Club defender to decide whether to use him or not in the match against Malaysia, because Van Vi is playing very well on the left wing.

Đội tuyển Việt Nam thắng U22 Việt Nam trong trận đấu tập nội bộ - 1 — The Vietnam team is ready for the match against Malaysia (Photo: VFF).

"Quang Vinh can play in many positions, from left center back, full back to winger. His presence helps the team's tactics become more flexible. I continue to analyze to make the most of Quang Vinh's strengths," commented coach Kim Sang Sik.

Given the opportunity, Cao Quang Vinh played very hard. However, the players who left their mark in this internal practice session were Hai Long and Duy Manh. Each of them scored a goal. On the U22 Vietnam side, the scorer was Van Thuan. The match ended with a score of 2-1 in favor of the Vietnamese team.

After the internal practice match, the Vietnamese team has one more practice session before going to Malaysia on June 6. Evaluating the opponent, coach Kim Sang Sik said: "Malaysia has about 8-10 new naturalized players compared to the last tournament, causing many difficulties in analyzing the opponent's tactics. We continue to monitor and analyze to have the best preparation."

“The fact that Malaysia has not been able to beat Vietnam for over 10 years is special, especially when Malaysia and Thailand are our familiar opponents. However, this achievement also partly reflects the careful preparation and confidence of the Vietnamese players.

Regarding away pressure, we have experience playing under great pressure from the audience at Rajamangala Stadium in Thailand in the second leg of the 2024 AFF Cup final. I think it is important for the players to believe in themselves, their teammates and the coaching staff to overcome the pressure and aim for the best results,” the Korean captain emphasized.

“All matches are stressful, but the joy will be doubled when we overcome difficulties and win. I always believe that the players will unite and make efforts to overcome challenges.

Although the qualifying round is played in a home-and-away format, we do not want to drop any points and aim to win all 3 points in the next match. In general, victory is always the highest goal of the Vietnamese team," affirmed coach Kim Sang Sik.