Coach Kim Sang Sik: “The victory over Thailand is the New Year’s gift from the team to the fans.”
At the press conference after the first leg of the final against the Thailand national team at Việt Trì Stadium on the evening of January 2, Coach Kim Sang Sik expressed his immense happiness with the achievement against the team from the Land of Smiles. “The victory over Thailand is the New Year’s gift from the team to the fans,” he said.
“As Coach Park Hang-seo once said, Vietnam no longer needs to fear Thailand. And as I’ve also said, there is no mountain that cannot be overcome. If the players continue to showcase their strengths, the team will keep having successful matches. Today, after 27 years, Vietnam has beaten Thailand on home soil. I am very happy. This is a New Year’s gift for the fans at the beginning of 2025,” Coach Kim Sang Sik shared.
Regarding the strategy of the Vietnam national team in the match against Thailand, the South Korean coach said: “I analyzed my team and the opponent before coming up with different tactics. My goal was to go out there to win. Thailand is strong, with good physicality. I told Xuân Son to be more determined. The Vietnam national team was very strong today, played very well, and won the match.”
In the victory over Thailand, in addition to Xuân Son’s standout performance with a brace, Hoàng Đức continued to impress in midfield, Thành Chung was solid in defense, and Coach Kim Sang Sik was also very pleased with Doãn Ngọc Tân’s performance.
“Ngọc Tân runs a lot, always gives his best in every match. He fights for the team. He stopped many of Thailand’s attacking plays. I think he is a very special player. He has positive energy and brings motivation to the coaching staff. I thank him for today’s match,” Coach Kim Sang Sik praised the Thanh Hóa midfielder.
With Thailand scoring a late goal, Vietnam’s advantage was somewhat reduced for the return leg. Coach Kim Sang Sik saw this as a lesson for the team. “Today, the team should have won by a 2-goal margin, but I am already satisfied. A little carelessness in defense allowed us to concede a goal, but this is also a lesson for them to stay more focused for the return leg,” said Coach Kim Sang Sik.
After this match, the Vietnam national team will travel to Thailand on a flight on the morning of January 3 to prepare for the return leg of the final against their opponents. The match will take place at 8:00 PM on January 5 at Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand.
