Coach Kim Sang Sik: The team has balance in defense and attack

On the evening of July 19, the U23 Vietnam team defeated U23 Laos 3-0 in the opening match of Group B of the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship held in Indonesia.

Speaking after the match, coach Kim Sang Sik said: "I am very happy with the 3-0 victory in the first match. I would like to thank the Vietnamese fans who came to the stadium to cheer on the team as well as the fans who watched on the small screen."

"Laos defended tightly from the first minutes. Then we scored thanks to the efforts of the players. The important thing is that we had a balance in defense and attack," the Korean coach added.

2/3 of U23 Vietnam's goals were scored by defenders, not strikers. What do you think about this?, the reporter asked.

In response, coach Kim Sang Sik said: "I'm very happy, whoever scores is fine. I congratulate Hieu Minh for scoring 2 goals."

Answering the question: "How do you evaluate the strength of U23 Indonesia? Are they a candidate for the championship?", Mr. Kim said: "Indonesia is very strong and well organized. We have only played 1 match. U23 Vietnam needs to focus on each match and not think too much."

When asked whether he would rather meet U23 Indonesia or U23 Malaysia in the semi-finals, coach Kim Sang Sik replied: "We should focus on ourselves and play as planned. That is the important thing."

For his part, center back Hieu Minh said: "Thank you fans. I'm happy to have 2 goals. This is motivation to play better in the next matches."

Meanwhile, coach Ha Hyeok Jun of U23 Laos said: "As expected, U23 Vietnam is very strong. We tried our best, tried our best but still could not avoid defeat. U23 Laos has learned its lesson and will try harder in the next tournaments."

Explaining why he did not use star midfielder Damoth, coach Ha Hyeok Jun said his student was injured in the opening match against U23 Cambodia, drawing 1-1.

"We really wanted to use Damoth but couldn't because his injury was not minor," the Korean coach explained.