Valuable experience
Khong Minh Gia Bao is the face named by coach Kim Sang-sik at the last minute when Van Khang was injured and unable to participate in ASEAN Cup 2026.
The center-back of Ho Chi Minh City Police Club was brought onto the field by coach Kim Sang-sik in the final minutes of the confrontation with Cambodia. Short experience and even if passes are missed, that is still a beautiful memory for Gia Bao.
Le Van Do - a backup option for Tien Anh has been tested in the away match against Timor Leste in the opening match. Since then, this defender has not appeared on the field again.
Tien Anh is playing very stably in both attack and defense in recent matches. Therefore, Van Do has not had more opportunities. However, the Hanoi Police player does not need to be sad because not everyone is playing at ASEAN Cup 2026.
Nhat Minh, Viet Cuong, Quang Kiet or Gia Hung also experienced few minutes of play. They were brought onto the field at specific times, but a few minutes of play are sometimes precious to each individual player. Coach Kim Sang-sik's somewhat "magic" way of using players has maximized the effectiveness.
Even Xuan Son, Hoang Hen, Tai Loc could not guarantee a starting spot. They have been on the bench many times and were brought on in the second half. This shows that players who play less often still have a certain role in the team's plans.
People's sorrows waiting
Nguyen Ngoc My is the only non-goalkeeper player who has not played a single minute at the ASEAN Cup 2026. At this time, the attack of the Vietnamese team is quite crowded with 3 naturalized players. In front of Ngoc My are still Dinh Bac, Hai Long, Viet Cuong or Gia Hung - people with more experience than the player from Thanh Hoa.
Coach Kim Sang-sik registered Ngoc My for the match against Cambodia in the group stage and the second leg of the semi-final against Malaysia. It is true that Ngoc My is still inexperienced, but the way luck turned its back on Ngoc My is also truly ironic.
In the confrontation with Cambodia, coach Kim Sang-sik intended to bring Ngoc My onto the field but in the end... ran out of substitution votes.
Tran Trung Kien and Dang Van Lam experienced a completely different story. Among the 3 players who have not played, two are goalkeepers. This is not uncommon in world football. Goalkeepers number 2 and number 3 in cup tournaments mainly sit and watch matches and rarely get to enter the field.
Not every goalkeeper deserves to be substituted for the main goalkeeper for the reason of... gratitude. Ochoa got this luck at the 2026 World Cup, but Trung Kien and Van Lam are in a different situation.
Despite being professional and always ready, not being able to play a minute at a major tournament still leaves many thoughts for each player. More unfortunately, when the final match is the final, the opportunity for those waiting on the bench becomes even scarcer.
