What did coach Kim Sang-sik say when U23 Vietnam entered the 2026 AFC U23 Championship?

VHO - The Vietnam U23 team defeated U23 Yemen in the decisive match to win the right to enter the Final Round of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship. Speaking after the match, coach Kim Sang-sik was satisfied with his players' performance and thanked the fans for always accompanying the team.

In Group C, U23 Vietnam started with a 2-0 victory over U23 Bangladesh, then beat U23 Singapore 1-0, before defeating U23 Yemen also with a minimal score.

Coach Kim Sang-sik and his students have completed their set goals.

With 9 absolute points, U23 Vietnam not only won a ticket to the 2026 AFC U23 Championship in Saudi Arabia but also extended its record of 6 consecutive appearances at the continental finals after 2024, 2022, 2020, 2018 and 2016.

Talking about this achievement, Coach Kim Sang-sik congratulated his students and expressed his appreciation for the affection from the audience: "First of all, I congratulate the players for winning tickets to the final round.

Next, I would like to thank the fans who came to the stadium and cheered enthusiastically for U23 Vietnam. The whole team will continue to strive towards the U23 Asia finals with the best preparation."

Explaining the rotation of forces, the Korean strategist said: "In the qualifying round, there were 3 consecutive matches, the players could not maintain high intensity continuously, so we had to spread out the forces. In the match against U23 Yemen, there were adjustments in the second half and it brought about results."

Vietnam U23 has participated in the final round of the U23 Asian Cup for the sixth consecutive time.

Talking about the decision to replace three players at the same time in the first half, coach Kim Sang-sik shared: "I originally planned to make changes in the second half, but the situation on the field did not go as planned, so I was forced to adjust earlier."

Overall assessment, coach Kim Sang-sik emphasized: "At the end of the qualifying round, I have drawn out some points that need to be overcome.

I have discussed and reminded the players to be calmer in the penalty area, more focused in decisive situations. When returning to the club, the players also need to continue to improve towards SEA Games 33."

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/hlv-kim-sangsik-noi-gi-khi-u23-viet-nam-lot-vao-vck-u23-chau-a-2026-167157.html