Coach Kim Sang-sik speaks out about U23 Vietnam's 'strange tactics'

Coach Kim Sang-sik of Vietnam U23 team affirmed that arranging water bottles along the sidelines is simply a solution to support players in hot weather.

Coach Kim Sang-sik denied stacking water bottles to "disrupt" the play of U23 Indonesia. Photo: Hai Ho .

“The weather is very hot, we arranged the water bottles like that for the players to drink water, not for any other purpose,” coach Kim Sang-sik said about arranging the water bottles along the sidelines in the final match of the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship against U23 Indonesia on the evening of July 29.

In the final match between U23 Vietnam and U23 Indonesia, the image of water bottles placed along the sidelines right in front of the technical area of the U23 Vietnam team attracted a lot of attention. Many opinions said that this was a "unique trick" of the away team to disrupt the playing style of U23 Indonesia. Specifically, it limited strong throw-ins, which is a familiar and dangerous attack of the team from the archipelago.

However, the Korean strategist said this was to help the players drink water in hot weather, not a tactical trick as many speculated.

Vietnam U23 won the championship for the third time after defeating Indonesia U23 with a score of 1-0. The only goal of the "Golden Star Warriors" came from Cong Phuong's strike in the 37th minute.

Talking about this achievement, the Korean coach was moved: “I am very happy that U23 Vietnam won U23 Indonesia. This is the third consecutive championship. The players did not give up and fought until the last minute. I am proud of them.”

Although he is very proud of his players, he still emphasizes that this is just the beginning. “I want the players to improve their experience and ability after this championship. The next two tournaments - the 2026 AFC U23 qualifiers and the 33rd SEA Games - are very important. I hope they perform well in those tournaments.”

Vietnam U23 has won a hat-trick of Southeast Asian U23 championships from 2022 to 2025. This achievement once again affirms the number one position of Vietnamese youth football in the region, while opening up great expectations in the continental arena in the near future.

The only goal helped U23 Vietnam win the Southeast Asian championship. On the evening of July 29, the U23 Vietnam team defeated Indonesia 1-0 in the final of the 2025 Southeast Asian tournament held at Bung Karno Stadium.

Source: https://znews.vn/hlv-kim-sang-sik-len-tieng-ve-chien-thuat-la-cua-u23-viet-nam-post1572654.html