U.23 Laos coach continuously 'smiled' after defeat, highly praising U.23 Vietnam

At the press conference after the match with the U.23 Vietnam team in the Southeast Asian U.23 Championship held on the evening of July 19, the coach of the U.23 Laos team, Ha Hyeok-jun, kept smiling and complimenting coach Kim Sang-sik and his team.

Why can't the Lao player of Vietnamese origin compete?

With a squad that is superior in quality, the U.23 Vietnam team easily won 3-0 against the U.23 Laos team. Therefore, coach Ha Hyeok-jun was not sad at all. He smiled a lot, somewhat accepting this defeat.

The Korean strategist shared: "As expected, the U.23 Vietnam team is very strong. We tried our best, prepared quite carefully and tried to show but could not do anything more. The important thing is that we have learned many lessons after this match. We will try harder in the next tournaments."

U.23 Vietnam beat U.23 Laos, coach Kim Sang-sik cleverly avoided difficult questions

Coach Ha was then asked to comment on Viktor Le, a Vietnamese-Russian player who entered the field in the second half. He said: "He plays aggressively, enthusiastically and has a lot of potential to become a star of Vietnamese football in the future."

In addition, Coach Ha added about the situation of the Laos U.23 team: "Damoth Thongkamsavath (a Lao player of Vietnamese origin, currently playing for Thanh Hoa Club) was injured in the match against the Cambodian team. We really wanted to use him. On the contrary, he also really wanted to contribute to the team. However, he could not play due to a serious injury. Many of the remaining players in the Laos U.23 team are not physically fit because they did not recover in time after the match against Cambodia. Our players are also quite young and inexperienced."

Coach Ha understands that the U.23 Vietnam team is stronger and deserves to win.

PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG

Coach Kim Sang-sik's compatriot smiled and happily greeted reporters many times during the post-match press conference.

PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG

Coach Ha's difficulty against U.23 Vietnam

Highlight U.23 Vietnam 3-0 U.23 Laos: A smooth start for coach Kim Sang-sik and his team

Coach Ha further confided about the overall football scene in the region: "Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia or Indonesia football is much more developed. These are football teams aiming for the World Cup, stronger than the rest of Southeast Asia. The Lao National Championship is much less developed than other tournaments in the region such as Thailand and Vietnam. Therefore, it is very difficult for us to find good players. We need to focus on each match, trying to do well in each defense and attack to be able to face strong opponents."

Watch the full 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 Football Championship Mandiri Cup™ on FPT Play, visit http://fptplay.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hlv-u23-lao-lien-tuc-cuoi-tru-sau-that-bai-khen-ngoi-het-loi-u23-viet-nam-185250719200021288.htm