Vietnam team rematch Nepal: Dang Van Lam likely to lose his spot

Goalkeeper Dang Van Lam lost points in the match Vietnam won 3-1 against Nepal, and is at risk of having to give up his starting position to his junior Trung Kien in the "return match" between the two teams on October 14.

In Vietnam 's 3-1 victory over Nepal in the first leg of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers on October 9th, Dang Van Lam lost favor with coach Kim Sang Sik.

This situation occurred at the beginning of the second half, when Pham Xuan Manh passed the ball back to Van Lam. The goalkeeper, born in 1993, unexpectedly made a misplaced pass, almost putting the Vietnamese goal in danger. Fortunately, the Nepalese player failed to capitalize on the opportunity, and Duy Manh made a timely save.

Although Vietnam didn't concede a goal in that situation, the fans had a heart-stopping moment. If the opposing player had been a more skilled striker, Van Lam could have paid dearly for his carelessness.

Van Lam loses points in the 3-1 win against Nepal. Photo: Huu Ha

After the match, coach Kim Sang Sik commented: "Before the training camp, he performed very well at Ninh Binh Club. As for the match against Nepal, it's difficult to assess his performance because the opponent didn't create many dangerous scoring opportunities."

The South Korean strategist's assessment didn't focus on Van Lam's current professional performance. However, the head coach of the Vietnamese national team may not feel comfortable continuing to use the Ninh Binh Club goalkeeper.

Speaking to VietNamNet, commentator Quang Tung said: "After the first leg, we can clearly see what changes the Vietnamese team needs. I think the first thing is that the team must use more motivated players in the defense, and then make adjustments in other areas."

Trung Kien is making more and more progress.

In the current Vietnamese national team, young goalkeeper Trung Kien is in excellent form and eager to prove himself. After helping the Vietnam U23 team defend their Southeast Asian Championship title in 2025, the HAGL goalkeeper continued to impress in the 2026 U23 Asian Championship qualifiers.

Experts believe it's time for coach Kim Sang Sik to give Trung Kien a chance, both to create competition in the Vietnamese national team and to motivate young players to strive for improvement. Against an opponent of average quality like Nepal, Trung Kien starting in goal is also very reasonable.

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Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/tuyen-viet-nam-tai-dau-nepal-dang-van-lam-de-mat-suat-2451320.html