What did coach Kim Sang-sik say about Viktor Le, Thanh Nhan and the performance of U23 Vietnam?

With two goals from Ngoc My and Viktor Le, U23 Vietnam won against U23 Bangladesh to create a favorable start, rising to the top of Group C of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship Qualifiers. Coach Kim Sang-sik said he was very satisfied with the result, despite the match taking place in hot weather in Viet Tri.

"In the second half, U23 Vietnam had many opportunities to increase the gap, but the goalkeeper of U23 Bangladesh played excellently, preventing us from scoring more than two goals, and was also unlucky because of situations that hit the crossbar or the post. However, I am happy with the victory in the first match of the 2026 AFC U23 Qualifiers and believe that U23 Vietnam can still improve to be better," said the Korean strategist.

Talking about the second half, U23 Vietnam created a much better game than the first half and part of the reason was the appearance of Viktor Le. Coach Kim Sang-sik shared: "Viktor entered the field and performed very well and followed the tactics set by the coaching staff", the 48-year-old coach commented, "I am very happy with his performance and on this occasion, I also congratulate Viktor for the goal he scored in the U23 Vietnam shirt".

Regarding Thanh Nhan, he said: "This is Thanh Nhan's first match back after injury. I am very satisfied with the way he played on the field, especially the situations where he got behind the opponent's defense." Regarding Xuan Bac, he praised "this is a player with a good physical foundation, running a lot", however "he needs to improve more in the accuracy of his passes as well as how to move properly to be more comprehensive".

Also on September 3, coach Kim Sang-sik attended the match between U23 Singapore and U23 Yemen, thereby getting a preliminary look at the two upcoming opponents. "I noticed that the hot weather affected the physical strength as well as the performance of the two teams. But it must also be said that the level of the teams in Group C is similar and we must have thorough preparation to achieve good results," coach Kim Sang-sik said cautiously.