U22 Vietnam awaits the decisive match against U22 Malaysia

The Vietnam U22 team had a good start at the 33rd SEA Games after winning against Laos U22. Ahead for coach Kim Sang-sik and his team is the challenge of Malaysia U22.

According to the schedule, U22 Vietnam will enter the second match against U22 Malaysia on December 11, with the goal of winning all 3 points to compete for a ticket to the semi-finals. But before that, on December 6, U22 Vietnam will wait for the result of the match between U22 Malaysia and U22 Laos to make careful calculations for the decisive match. In case U22 Malaysia loses to U22 Laos, U22 Vietnam only needs one more draw to advance. If U22 Malaysia wins against U22 Laos, we will have to fight with our opponent in the final match.

U22 Vietnam is confident after winning the opening match. Photo: VFF

After the opening match, U22 Vietnam still has 7 days before the confrontation with U22 Malaysia. During this period, coach Kim Sang-sik and the coaching staff will continue to perfect their playing style, especially the ability to handle the final situations. The whole team is working together towards victory to win a ticket to the semi-finals of the 33rd SEA Games Men's Football.

The issue that Mr. Kim Sang-sik drew after the somewhat difficult victory against U22 Laos was: "Laos is getting stronger and stronger and has many individuals playing very well. The two teams have met many times so Vietnam understands Laos and Laos also understands Vietnam. Therefore, today we encountered a bit of difficulty.

I am sorry about the goal we conceded in the first half, but the important thing is that we won. The whole team will recover quickly and prepare well for the match against Malaysia.”

Striker Quoc Viet expressed his confidence: "I have played against Malaysia many times so I am very confident in the confrontation. The goal of U22 Vietnam is definitely 3 points." He also added about the request from coach Kim Sang-sik: "The coach assigned the task of trying your best and taking advantage of opportunities. As a striker, you have to score. I am a bit regretful that I did not score in the first match, but I will try harder in the next match."

U22 Vietnam is considered the strongest team in the group. We defeated Malaysia in the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 tournament. In terms of overall performance, in the last 6 matches, U22 Malaysia lost 5 matches. They failed to qualify for the Asian U23 tournament and were eliminated early from the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 tournament.

The current difficulties in the squad of U22 Malaysia are also a problem that puts the team at a disadvantage before the opening match at the 33rd SEA Games. Coach Nafuzi Zain of U22 Malaysia shared: "We were eliminated at the previous SEA Games, so we need to have the best players. We know that the SEA Games is outside of FIFA Days, so clubs have the right not to release players, but I hope they will create conditions for the players to be able to compete with U22 Laos."

Coach Nafuzi Zain of U22 Malaysia appeared at Rajamangla Stadium, watching the match between U22 Vietnam and U22 Laos on December 3. Preparations from now are necessary for U22 Malaysia to have calculations for the two upcoming matches.

Overall, U22 Malaysia is still a direct opponent that will not be easy for U22 Vietnam to overcome. Defender Muhammad Alif Ahmad spoke to the media: “The whole team is focused on the opening match against U22 Laos on December 6. Although the recent warm-up matches were only against local clubs, our goals are always clear and everything is ready for the opening match of the SEA Games. After watching the match between Laos and Vietnam, I believe that we can completely compete and not be inferior to them in terms of tactics.”

U22 Vietnam is confident before entering the decisive match with U22 Malaysia. But first, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team need to have careful tactical calculations when watching the opponent's match against U22 Laos.

Vietnam Volleyball Federation offers rewards

The Vietnam Volleyball Federation has just announced the bonus levels for the teams participating in the 33rd SEA Games, creating more motivation before the tournament.

Accordingly, the men's and women's indoor volleyball teams will receive 200 million VND if they complete their target and up to 1 billion VND if they win a gold medal.

For beach volleyball, the prize money is 50 million VND for any medal and 200 million VND for a gold medal. This is considered a significant incentive, helping athletes feel more confident when entering the competition in Thailand.

In addition to offering rewards, the sports industry also adjusted the target for the women's volleyball team from gold medal to silver medal (striving to reach the final), to reduce pressure and avoid players falling into a state of excessive stress.

However, the Vietnamese women's team is still highly appreciated with a stable force such as Thanh Thuy, Bich Thuy (currently playing abroad), and familiar faces such as Nhu Quynh, Le Thanh Thuy, Khanh Dang or Kim Thanh.

In the men's event, the indoor volleyball team aims to defend the bronze medal won at the previous SEA Games.

Meanwhile, the men's and women's beach volleyball teams are both aiming for the bronze medal. Previously, the women's beach volleyball team also won a bronze medal at the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia. (HH)

Source: https://cand.com.vn/the-thao/u22-viet-nam-cho-tran-quyet-dau-u22-malaysia-i790247/