Coach Kim Sang Sik: 'U23 Vietnam was unlucky, Bangladesh's goalkeeper was too good'

Head coach Kim Sang Sik was relatively satisfied even though U23 Vietnam only won 2-0 against U23 Bangladesh in the opening match of Group C of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers on the evening of September 3.

Coach Kim Sang Sik shared after the first win of U23 Vietnam in the 2026 U23 Asian qualifiers - Photo: NGOC LE

"Although today's match took place in very hot weather, I am still satisfied with the 2-0 score and the performance of U23 Vietnam," coach Kim Sang Sik opened the press conference after the match on the evening of September 3 at Viet Tri Stadium.

Facing the defensive style of U23 Bangladesh, U23 Vietnam encountered many difficulties, but still scored 2 goals by Nguyen Ngoc My and Viktor Le in the 16th and 83rd minutes respectively. Mr. Kim praised the Vietnamese-American player and two other students, Nguyen Thanh Nhan and Nguyen Xuan Bac.

"Viktor Le came on in the second half but also had an outstanding performance. He followed all the tactics of the coaching staff, I congratulate Viktor on the goal he scored.

Thanh Nhan had an impressive comeback not long after his injury. He was aggressive and had the ability to move very well into the area behind the opponent's defense. Hopefully he can maintain his form and play well in the upcoming matches.

Xuan Bac also performed well with his ability to distribute the ball and defend. He also ran a lot. If he improves his passing ability a little more, Xuan Bac will have a bright future," said Mr. Kim Sang Sik.

The Korean strategist continued: "It must also be said that U23 Vietnam lacked a bit of luck to score more goals. We had many situations where our shots hit the crossbar and the post, not to mention the opponent's goalkeeper caught them very well. Of course, we also need to improve our attacking ability in the upcoming matches."

U23 Vietnam missed many opportunities due to bad luck and because the Bangladesh goalkeeper was too good - Photo: NGOC LE

On the U23 Bangladesh side, assistant coach Hassan Al-Mamun praised U23 Vietnam, saying that the loss to the home team was not surprising.

"The absence of the head coach did not affect the match much. That is not the reason for the team's loss. U23 Vietnam is the strongest team in the group, they showed dominance when playing against U23 Bangladesh," assistant coach Al-Mamun shared.

The 2-0 victory over U23 Bangladesh helped U23 Vietnam temporarily take the top spot in Group C of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers. In the second match, U23 Vietnam will meet U23 Singapore at 7:00 p.m. on September 6 at Viet Tri Stadium.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hlv-kim-sang-sik-u23-viet-nam-thieu-may-thu-mon-bangladesh-qua-hay-20250903213942478.htm