Coach Kim Sang Sik: The U23 team has a balance between defense and attack.

Speaking after the victory against Laos U23, coach Kim Sang Sik said he was very happy that the Vietnam U23 team won, and it didn't matter who scored the goal.

Coach Kim Sang Sik at the post-match press conference - Photo: ANH KHOA

On the evening of July 19th, the Vietnam U23 team defeated Laos U23 3-0 in their opening match of Group B at the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship held in Indonesia.

Speaking after the match, coach Kim Sang Sik said: "I am very happy with the 3-0 victory in the first match. I want to thank the Vietnamese fans who came to the stadium to cheer on the whole team, as well as those who watched on television."

"Laos defended tightly right from the start. Then we scored thanks to the efforts of our players. The important thing is that we had a balance between defense and attack," the South Korean coach added.

"Two-thirds of Vietnam U23's goals were scored by defenders, not forwards. What are your thoughts on this?" the reporter asked.

In response, coach Kim Sang Sik said: "I'm very happy, it doesn't matter who scored. I congratulate Hieu Minh for scoring two goals."

Coach Ha Hyeok Jun at the post-match press conference - Photo: ANH KHOA

In response to the question, "How do you assess the strength of the Indonesian U23 team? Are they a contender for the championship?", Mr. Kim said: "Indonesia is very strong and well-organized. We have only played one match so far. The Vietnamese U23 team needs to focus on each match and not think too much about the future."

When asked whether he would prefer to face U23 Indonesia or U23 Malaysia in the semi-finals, coach Kim Sang Sik replied: "We should focus on ourselves and play according to the plan. That's what's important."

For his part, center-back Hieu Minh said: "Thank you to the fans. I'm happy to have scored two goals. This is a motivation to play better in the next matches."

Meanwhile, Laos U23 coach Ha Hyeok Jun stated: "As expected, Vietnam U23 is very strong. We tried our best and made every effort to perform well, but we couldn't avoid the defeat. Laos U23 has learned a lesson and will try harder in future tournaments."

Explaining the decision not to field star midfielder Damoth, coach Ha Hyeok Jun said his player suffered an injury in the opening match, a 1-1 draw against Cambodia U23.

"We really wanted to use Damoth but couldn't, because he has a serious injury," the South Korean coach explained.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hlv-kim-sang-sik-tuyen-u23-co-su-can-bang-trong-phong-ngu-va-tan-cong-20250719172829062.htm