Why were goalkeepers Nguyen Filip and Dinh Trieu removed from the Vietnamese national team?

Coach Kim Sang Sik has dropped both top goalkeepers Nguyen Filip and Nguyen Dinh Trieu from the Vietnam team for the two matches against Nepal. Why?

Goalkeeper Nguyen Filip is not in good form - Photo: CAHN FC

On the morning of September 30, coach Kim Sang Sik announced the list of Vietnam's national team to prepare for the match against Nepal next October in the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup.

It is noteworthy that the Korean coach has also eliminated the two top goalkeepers of the Vietnamese team in recent times, Nguyen Dinh Trieu and Nguyen Filip.

Dinh Trieu is the number 1 goalkeeper of the Vietnamese team at the ASEAN Cup 2024. Filip Nguyen started in the match against Malaysia 0-4 in the second round of Group F of the final qualifying round of the Asian Cup 2027 in June.

Give another goalkeeper a chance

Coach Kim Sang Sik has called three goalkeepers Dang Van Lam, Nguyen Van Viet and Tran Trung Kien for this training session.

There are many reasons for coach Kim Sang Sik to make this choice. Firstly, the Vietnamese team only plays against the weakest opponent in the group, Nepal, so this is a good opportunity for him to give opportunities to other goalkeepers.

The two U23 goalkeepers Van Viet and Trung Kien were chosen to prepare for the SEA Games 33 campaign at the end of the year. As for Dang Van Lam, the 32-year-old goalkeeper was chosen to re-test his ability after being absent since the ASEAN Cup 2024 due to being relegated to the First Division.

Returning to the V-League, Van Lam is playing quite well. He has only conceded 4 goals in 5 unbeaten matches, helping Ninh Binh FC lead the league.

Goalkeeper Dinh Trieu conceded many goals in V-League 2025-2026 - Photo: HAI PHONG FC

Type is reasonable

But the main reason for the absence of Nguyen Filip and Dinh Trieu at FIFA Days in October is a decline in performance.

In the opening match of the AFC Champions League Two 2025-2026, which ended in a 2-2 draw with host Beijing Guoan (China) on September 18, Nguyen Filip was at fault for both goals. One of them was passing the ball to the opponent's feet, leading to the second goal of the Hanoi Police Club.

Previously, this Czech-Vietnamese goalkeeper also made a mistake in the opening match of the Hanoi Police Club, which lost 1-2 to BG Pathum United (Thailand) in the Southeast Asian Club Championship (Shopee Cup) 2025-2026.

So even though Hanoi Police Club has only conceded 4 goals in 5 unbeaten matches in V-League 2025-2026, that form cannot "save" Nguyen Filip.

Similarly, goalkeeper Dinh Trieu is also not playing well for Hai Phong Club. He has conceded 9 goals after 5 matches in V-League 2025-2026.

More importantly, Dinh Trieu (1m80) is also 34 years old, it is time to make way for a new generation of goalkeepers who are younger and have much better physique.

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NGUYEN KHOI

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tai-sao-thu-mon-nguyen-filip-va-dinh-trieu-bi-gach-ten-o-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-20250930131727142.htm