Vietnamese coach compared his players to Cristiano Ronaldo, claimed Vietnam deserved the deciding points to win the 2025 SEA Games championship, and expressed understanding of the referees since the final was held in Thailand.
On 16 Dec 2025 GMT+7, Nguyen Tuan Kiet, head coach of Vietnam's women's volleyball team, said his athletes performed excellently beyond expectations. He regretted the team's lack of decisiveness despite having chances to take the lead over Thailand, especially in a crucial point where Vietnam should have been awarded the score. He compared Vietnam's situation to Cristiano Ronaldo missing a penalty in a decisive moment.
The gold medal final of SEA Games 2025 went to five sets, with Vietnam leading by 5 points at one stage before Thailand ultimately won 3-2 sets with scores of 19-25, 25-13, 25-18, 23-25, and 25-23.
After the match, coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet said, “I am very proud that the Vietnamese athletes played excellently. We faced a very strong Thailand team, but my players gave more than 100% of their ability.”
“It is a bit unfortunate that we lacked decisiveness in closing out the fifth set, even though we had chances to lead the opponents, especially in the crucial point. Everyone saw that the point should have gone to the Vietnam women's volleyball team.”
“I also told the referees that I understand their decisions since the final was played on Thai soil. Although we lost, there is no denying that the Vietnamese athletes have grown a lot from previous tournaments.”
“We played under enormous pressure. The Vietnam women's volleyball team experienced a career-defining match against Thailand on the SEA Games stage, even though we could not secure the victory in this final.”
“This Vietnamese squad has great mental strength. I told my players to let go of all pressure and play to their utmost. When their minds were relaxed, they were able to break through Thailand's blocks and helped the team deliver an excellent game.”
“Although there is some regret after the SEA Games final, I affirm that the Vietnam women's volleyball team has a new generation of highly talented players. This generation is one to watch for the future. There were some unfortunate mistakes by my players, but to be fair, under such immense pressure, anything can happen.”
“Even Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty at a decisive moment, so how can we blame my athletes? We need to understand and sympathize with them during such times.”