Coach Kim Sang-sik reveals U.23 Vietnam's weakness, explains 'strange' substitution method

Coach Kim Sang-sik affirmed that U.23 Vietnam must improve their finishing ability if they want to always go far in major tournaments.

What did coach Kim Sang-sik say about coach Park Hang-seo?

Vietnam U23 defeated Yemen U23 with a score of 1-0 in the final match at 7:00 p.m. on September 9. Thereby, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team successfully won a ticket to the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals as the leading team in Group C, winning 9 full points.

After 3 matches, U.23 Vietnam won U.23 Bangladesh (2-0), U.23 Singapore and U.23 Yemen (all with the same score of 1-0). This is the 6th consecutive time (from 2016 to present) that U.23 Vietnam has participated in the biggest Asian football festival at the U.23 level.

U.23 Vietnam deserved to win

PHOTO: MINH TU

Coach Kim Sang-sik was satisfied with his players' performance, affirming after the match: "I and U.23 Vietnam have entered the final round of U.23 Asia, thank you to the fans who came to Viet Tri Stadium to cheer for the team today."

When asked to compare with the achievements of coach Park Hang-seo with U.23 Vietnam (winning the silver medal of U.23 Asia 2018), Mr. Kim commented: "The players in Mr. Park's hands and in my hands are not the same. I can only say that I will try my best. U.23 Vietnam has played 3 matches, all 3 matches were difficult. The coaching staff and I have plans to rotate the team of players to achieve the most balance."

U.23 Vietnam wins all matches to enter Asian finals, Coach Kim explains 'strange' substitution method

Coach Kim Sang-sik made a notable substitution decision when he withdrew all 3 strikers (Van Khang, Ngoc My, Quoc Viet) from the field in the 40th minute, to replace them with a new trio (Thanh Nhan, Dinh Bac, Van Thuan). In the end, Van Thuan assisted Thanh Nhan to score the only goal.

"I was supposed to make three substitutions in the second half, but I changed my plan earlier," said Mr. Kim.

Thanh Nhan's classy goal

The Korean strategist revealed the future plans of U.23 Vietnam. "After 3 qualifying matches, I have drawn out some things that need to be improved. The players need to be calmer to convert opportunities into goals. We have about 2 months before the SEA Games. This is the golden time to prepare."

Watch live and complete Group C - 2026 AFC U23 Championship Qualifiers onFPT Play, at: http://fptplay.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hlv-kim-sang-sik-tiet-lo-diem-yeu-u23-viet-nam-ly-giai-cach-thay-nguoi-cuc-di-185250909210103451.htm