Kim Sang-sik, coach of Vietnam U23, pointed out two factors that caused their loss to China's national team, ending their dream of reaching the final in the 2026 Asian Championship.
On 21 Jan 2026 GMT+7, Kim Sang-sik, coach of the "Golden Star" Vietnam U23 team, analyzed the key turning points that led to their 0-3 defeat by China, which regrettably cost them a place in the final of the 2026 Asian Championship. He set the goal to lead the team to a strong comeback in the third-place match.
The South Korean coach stated that the main factors causing the team to lose their structure were losing key players and conceding a quick goal early in the second half. "That’s the nature of football. Sometimes we prepare well, but on the pitch, circumstances don’t favor us. Especially conceding an early goal in the second half, which caused the players to lose confidence and led to mistakes in subsequent plays."
"Originally, I planned to bring Dinh Bach on to change the game in the second half as planned, but Hieu Minh's injury forced us to adjust our lineup on the spot, causing the initial plan to collapse."
Despite the loss, the Vietnam head coach encouraged his players and saw positive aspects from the tournament. "We faced strong teams throughout, but the kids fought well and I am proud. Although there are major areas to improve, overall we have made significant progress."
Kim Sang-sik thanked the fans for their continuous support and firmly declared his commitment to doing his best in the third-place match against the "Taeguk Warriors," South Korea.
"We are disappointed we didn’t win, but I thank the fans and every player who fought until the last second. Now, we must focus on the third-place match against U23 South Korea. We will give it our all."