Coach Kim Sang-sik: 'The Vietnamese team is still impatient, I'm very sorry...'

Coach Kim Sang-sik said that the Vietnamese team's strikers did not know how to take advantage of opportunities, and still acted hastily in front of the goal.

Coach Kim Sang-sik: 'Bad pitch makes it difficult for the Vietnamese team to play'

The Vietnamese team defeated Nepal 1-0 in the rematch that took place at 7:30 p.m. on October 14. Coach Kim Sang-sik's players controlled the ball 62% of the time, shot 23 times (11 on target) but only scored 1 goal, thanks to an own goal by a Nepalese defender.

With the fragile victory at Thong Nhat Stadium, the Vietnamese team has 9 points after 4 matches (3 wins, 1 loss), thereby continuing to chase the top team Malaysia (12 points) for a ticket to the 2027 Asian Cup.

Coach Kim Sang-sik

PHOTO: INDEPENDENCE

Coach Kim Sang-sik shared after the match: "Today's match took place in bad weather conditions. I regret that the Vietnamese team could not score many goals, but I am still happy to have won. I want to send this victory to the fans."

Thong Nhat Stadium in the match on the evening of October 14 was "plowed" after a heavy rain in Ho Chi Minh City. The uneven, peeling, slippery grass and wet ball affected the quality of passes of both teams. Coach Kim's students had to use long balls or lightning-fast combinations to overcome the situation.

Coach Kim Sang-sik is not satisfied with the finishing, Nepal coach said Vietnam deserves to enter the finals more than Malaysia

"The pitch was very bad so we couldn't achieve what we set out to do. However, the Vietnamese team won the match, so we achieved our goal. The Vietnamese team had chances to score, but didn't take advantage of them well. The players were a bit hasty in handling the final situations. In the second half, some players were exhausted so they played as expected," coach Kim Sang-sik commented.

'The U.23 factor helps the Vietnamese team become more competitive'

In the 1-0 victory over Nepal, coach Kim Sang-sik gave opportunities to 5 U.23 Vietnam players. Of which, goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien, center back Nguyen Hieu Minh and striker Nguyen Thanh Nhan started. In the second half, it was the turn of striker Nguyen Dinh Bac and midfielder Khuat Van Khang to enter the field.

"Today, the U.23 Vietnam players including Hieu Minh, Thanh Nhan and Trung Kien were able to play. I don't think it's a 'reward', but simply because they have competed well in the past time. I evaluate players based on the process. Thanks to the competitiveness that the U.23 generation brings, the Vietnam team has operated a better playing style," coach Kim Sang-sik shared.

Dinh Bac entered the field in the second half and had a shot that hit the post.

PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG

"Today, Hieu Minh performed well. I want to praise him and Trung Kien. In the second half, Van Khang and Dinh Bac came on the field and played relatively well. I give praise to the U.23 players in this match."

The Korean strategist also regretted that Tien Linh could not score against Nepal to catch up with the second place in the list of goalscorers for the Vietnamese team, which is held by former striker Le Huynh Duc: "We had many good finishing situations on goal, but it is a pity that we did not score. Especially Tien Linh, I really regret. Tien Linh has a sharp instinct in front of the goal, when running and finishing well, I hope next month, when there is a match with Laos, hopefully Tien Linh will score."

Coach Kim Sang-sik added: "After the recent match (October 9) with Nepal, we implemented many finishing tactics, taking advantage of opportunities on the opponent's field more, finding ways to play well in the upper 1/3 of Nepal's defensive field. However, the bad pitch somewhat affected the way we played. In the next training session, I need to find ways to help the players finish better.

I will also look for additional players for the right wing, expected to call up U.23 players for testing, even though Tien Anh is still playing well in this position."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hlv-kim-sang-sik-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-van-nong-voi-toi-rat-tiec-185251014220119321.htm