Laos U22 coach admits there is still a huge gap with regional football

The 1-4 defeat to Malaysia helped coach Ha Hyeok Jun look straight at the gap in skill level between Laos and the region's top football teams.

Coach Ha Hyeok Jun looks straight at the reality of Lao football - Photo: NAM TRAN

Despite creating a surprise by taking the lead against Malaysia in the first half, U22 Laos still could not stand firm against their opponent and accepted a 1-4 defeat in the group stage of SEA Games 33.

At the post-match press conference, head coach Ha Hyeok Jun shared his concerns about the systemic limitations that prevented U22 Laos from closing the gap with neighboring opponents.

Without looking for excuses for the failure, the Korean strategist frankly pointed out the root cause of Laos's continued decline lies in the quality of the national championship.

"The first and most important reason is that Laos' domestic tournament is still too weak compared to neighboring countries. We are at a disadvantage in every aspect: from the scale of organization, professional quality to financial potential," said coach Hyeok Jun.

He further analyzed the injustice in personnel selection: "While other teams can select the best elements from highly competitive national championships, we are limited by the small number of quality players."

When asked about the comparison between the two strongest opponents in the group, Vietnam and Malaysia, the Korean strategist said that we should not only look at the score to evaluate class.

He explained: "Looking at the results, it seems that Malaysia is stronger than Vietnam, but the context is completely different. Vietnam met us in the opening match when Laos was at its best. Meanwhile, Malaysia faced us when we were physically exhausted."

U22 Laos said goodbye to SEA Games 33 after two losses against Vietnam and Malaysia.

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THANH DINH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hlv-u22-lao-thua-nhan-van-con-khoang-cach-qua-lon-voi-bong-da-khu-vuc-20251206194706197.htm