"I am very happy that U23 Vietnam entered the semi-finals of the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship. We won 2 matches in the group stage thanks to the efforts of the players, the coaching staff and the support of the fans. The team has the best preparation to win the semi-final match against U23 Philippines ," coach Kim Sang Sik said before the match against U23 Philippines.

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Coach Kim Sang Sik is very confident before the match against U23 Philippines. Photo: Hai Hoang

Regarding the injury of central defender Pham Ly Duc, coach Kim Sang Sik said: "He was injured during the warm-up in the match against U23 Cambodia, having a problem with his ankle. Ly Duc's ability to play in the semi-finals is still uncertain. We need to monitor further in the training session on July 24."

Evaluating the opponents in the semi-final match, the Korean coach said: "The four teams in the semi-finals are equally strong. The strength of U23 Philippines is defensive counter-attacks with players number 7 and number 20, which are very dangerous. The defenders of the U23 Vietnam team need to be very focused to lock down these players."

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien expressed his determination: "Recently, my teammates and I have been very focused and determined to prepare for the next two matches. In the immediate future, U23 Vietnam is ready for the semi-final match against U23 Philippines."

On the other side of the battle line, Philippines coach McPherson is optimistic that he will have the weapons to defeat coach Kim Sang Sik's students: " U23 Vietnam has many goals from set pieces, always well prepared. They have many players playing in the national championship and wearing the national team jersey.

I have a plan to prevent set pieces from Vietnam U23. We also have players who are good at aerial combat. Let's wait and see how Philippines U23 neutralizes Vietnam U23's weapons ."

The semi-final match between U23 Vietnam vs U23 Philippines will take place at 4:00 p.m. on July 25, at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, in Jakarta (Indonesia).

Watch the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Football Championship live and in full on FPT Play, visit http://fptplay.vn

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/hlv-kim-sang-sik-tuyen-bo-thang-philippines-o-ban-ket-dong-nam-a-2425357.html