Coach Kim Sang-sik reveals tactical adjustments and next plans of U23 Vietnam

Coach Kim Sang-sik said that U23 Vietnam will defeat U23 Yemen to win all 9 points, then own a ticket to the 2026 AFC U23 Championship. After 90 difficult minutes at Viet Tri Stadium, his team did it.

Looking back, the AFC U23 Championship was the tournament that made the name of Coach Park Hang-seo, the predecessor of Coach Kim Sang-sik. According to the Korean strategist, the team participating in the upcoming AFC U23 Championship will be very different from the team of his predecessor. He will try to do his best in the tournament taking place in Saudi Arabia next year.

Coach Kim Sang-sik also explained that in the 2026 U23 Asian qualifiers, there are 3 short matches, so the coaching staff is forced to rotate and change the squad so that the players are in the best physical condition. "Regarding the match with U23 Yemen, I was supposed to make 3 substitutions in the second half, but things did not go according to plan, so I had to make adjustments in the first 45 minutes. In the second half of the match, I also made a change in strategy and helped the team win," he shared.

"At the end of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers, I have identified areas that need improvement, such as the players needing to be calmer when entering the opponent's third, or before finishing. I also told the players that we have 2 months to prepare for the 33rd SEA Games and everyone needs to work hard to improve themselves and hone their skills to enter the tournament in the best form," said the Korean strategist.

Present in the press conference room, Nguyen Thanh Nhan, who was voted the best player of the match, shared that he was very happy with the goal he scored, especially when he did not get to play in the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship. This helped him relieve his psychology and confidently move towards the next goals.