Mr. Kim Sang-sik and the 4 factors that decide the success or failure of U23 Vietnam against Yemen

TPO - Khuat Van Khang, Nguyen Dinh Bac or Pham Ly Duc will be the names that can decide victory or defeat in the confrontation between U23 Vietnam and U23 Yemen in the final match of Group C, 2026 AFC U23 Championship Qualifiers.

Khuat Van Khang is the leader of the midfield of the U23 Vietnam team. In the opening match against the weaker opponent, U23 Bangladesh, he was left on the bench and only entered the field in the second half. Coach Kim Sang-sik instead gave the opportunity to Van Truong - a factor that is considered to have potential to develop. With extensive experience in the V-League in the The Cong Viettel shirt, Van Khang emerged as the leader of the U23 Vietnam team with the ability to coordinate the ball, create and even score goals.

On the attack line, U23 Vietnam has two promising young strikers: Nguyen Quoc Viet - who graduated from Nutifood Academy and Dinh Bac, the striker currently playing for Hanoi Police. Dinh Bac was given a chance by Coach Troussier when he was leading the national team. He possesses good qualities of a striker, the ability to seize opportunities and is especially energetic and proactive. Experts say that if he were allowed to discipline himself, Dinh Bac could be even better and achieve more. (photo by Ngoc Tu)

A name that made a significant impression in the 2026 AFC U23 Championship Qualifiers is Vietnamese-American player Viktor Le. Entering the field in the second half of the match against U23 Bangladesh, Viktor Le immediately scored points with coach Kim Sang-sik. In addition to a shot that hit the crossbar of the opponent's goal, he also scored the winning goal 2-0 for U23 Vietnam. Playing with technique, intelligence, and skillful movement, Viktor Le can become a "sharp weapon" of U23 Vietnam against the U23 Yemen defense.

Coach Kim Sang-sik's personnel and tactical adjustments are showing remarkable results in the tournament in Phu Tho . Coach Kim Sang-sik's teams do not play flashy but the further they go, the better, more solid and effective they become. Facing U23 Yemen will be an opportunity for the Korean coach to once again show his ability to "read" his opponents.

Against an opponent who also has 6 points in Group C, U23 Vietnam will need a solid defense. Pham Ly Duc, a player who grew up at Nutifood Academy, will play an important blocking role. With a height of 1m82, Ly Duc is both effective when defending high balls and participating in attacks. He was the one who headed the ball back to create the assist for Van Thuan to score, helping U23 Vietnam defeat U23 Singapore 1-0 in the second round.

A strong point of U23 Vietnam is that not only the strikers, but many other players can score goals. Coach Kim Sang-sik has a squad of young players full of enthusiasm, fighting spirit and desire to win.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/ong-kim-sang-sik-va-4-factors-deciding-the-victory-of-u23-viet-nam-truoc-yemen-post1776565.tpo