Thanh Nhan scored the decisive goal in the victory of U23 Vietnam against U23 Yemen - Photo: NGOC LE
"I would like to congratulate the players on this victory. U23 Vietnam has won a ticket to the 2026 AFC U23 Championship. I also thank the Vietnamese fans for supporting the team throughout the journey," coach Kim Sang Sik opened the press conference after the match on the evening of September 9.
This was the first time Coach Kim had made three substitutions in the first half of a qualifying round. After about half an hour, he withdrew Nguyen Quoc Viet, Khuat Van Khang and Nguyen Ngoc My to bring in Nguyen Thanh Nhan, Nguyen Dinh Bac and Le Van Thuan.
"We had to rotate the squad because if we played all three qualifying matches, the players would be very tired. I planned to make a substitution in the second half. But the first half did not go as planned so I had to make an early decision," Mr. Kim explained.
Coach Kim once again showed his talent with substitutions. U23 Vietnam beat U23 Yemen with the only goal scored by striker Thanh Nhan in the 70th minute.
The Korean strategist continued: "After 3 matches, I have drawn out some things that need to be improved and told the players to be calmer in finishing. There are 2 months left until U23 Vietnam will gather again for SEA Games 33, so I told the players to maintain their form."
As for Thanh Nhan, player number 22 of U23 Vietnam, said this goal helped him feel relieved a lot after 3 qualifying matches and after being absent from the U23 Southeast Asia 2025 campaign due to injury.
On the U23 Yemen side, head coach Amin Al-Suneini sent his congratulations to U23 Vietnam and said this was a well-deserved victory for the home team.
"U23 Vietnam won thanks to the solidarity of the whole team. I was impressed with that, not any specific individual," said the U23 Yemen coach.
With the top position in Group C of the qualifying round, U23 Vietnam won a direct ticket to the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals with an absolute record of 3 wins, scoring 4 goals without conceding.
The 2026 AFC U23 Championship will take place from January 7, 2026 to January 25, 2026 in Saudi Arabia.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hlv-kim-sang-sik-giai-thich-viec-thay-3-nguoi-trong-hiep-1-tran-gap-yemen-20250909211104787.htm
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