Coach Kim Sang Sik: Vietnam team needs to improve finishing ability

Coach Kim Sang Sik at the press conference after the 1-0 win over Nepal. (Photo: VFF)

“The match took place in bad weather conditions. The slippery pitch affected the play of both teams. I am a bit regretful that we could not score more goals, but I am happy that the whole team won. This is a worthy result and I want to dedicate this victory to the fans,” said coach Kim Sang Sik.

The Korean strategist especially emphasized the problem in finishing, when the players missed many clear opportunities. “We had situations where we could have scored but did not take advantage of them. The players were sometimes hasty in the final stages. In the second half, some players were exhausted and could not show their true abilities,” said Mr. Kim.

However, coach Kim Sang Sik still highly appreciated the spirit and attitude of his players, especially the young players from the Vietnam U23 team. This match witnessed the participation of five faces from the U23 team, in which Hieu Minh, Trung Kien and Thanh Nhan started; Van Khang and Dinh Bac came on from the bench.

“In this match, I did not give the young players a chance because of favoritism, but because they performed well during training. They competed fairly and deserved to be given a chance. Thanks to that, the competitiveness within the team was enhanced. I highly appreciated the performance of Hieu Minh and Trung Kien, they played confidently. Van Khang and Dinh Bac also showed stability when entering the field,” Mr. Kim commented.

Talking about the case of striker Nguyen Tien Linh, who had at least two dangerous finishing situations but could not score, coach Kim Sang Sik shared: “I feel a bit sorry for Tien Linh. He is a striker with a scoring instinct, always moving and choosing good positions. Hopefully in the upcoming match against Laos, he will find the feeling of scoring again.”

Regarding the next plan, the head coach of the Vietnamese team said that he will continue to focus on improving his finishing ability and testing more personnel in necessary positions: “We have tried to improve the quality of the final processing after the first leg match with Nepal. However, the field conditions today made the implementation of the playing style not as expected. In the next training session, we will continue to practice finishing and add new elements if necessary.”

The narrow victory over Nepal helped the Vietnamese team get 6 absolute points after two matches, continuing to lead Group F of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, maintaining a 3-point gap over Malaysia. In the training session in November, the team will meet Laos, before entering the key match with Malaysia in March 2026 - a match that could be decisive for the group's ticket to the next round.

PHAN THACH

Source: https://nhandan.vn/hlv-kim-sang-sik-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-can-cai-thien-kha-nang-dut-diem-post915398.html