In the final minutes of the 2025 U23 Southeast Asian final, when U23 Vietnam was leading with a fragile score of 1-0, U23 Indonesia was awarded a throw-in in a position that could create an opportunity.
At the same time, the U23 Vietnam assistant spread many bottles of water close to the border (still in the coaching staff's area) with the purpose of preventing the Indonesian player from getting the momentum to throw the ball.
After that, a member of the home team ran to the technical area of U23 Vietnam to clean up the water bottle. This action caused him to receive a direct red card. This is a penalty for violating the technical area of the opponent team.
The final throw-in took place without any danger for U23 Vietnam. After goalkeeper Trung Kien caught the ball, the referee blew the whistle to end the match, U23 Vietnam won the match with a score of 1-0 and convincingly won the championship.
Regarding this situation, coach Kim Sang-sik shared in the press conference room: "The weather is very hot, we arrange the water bottles like that for the players to drink water, for no other purpose."
With the championship achievement, Mr. Kim Sang-sik became the first coach in the history of Vietnamese football to win both the ASEAN Cup and the U23 Southeast Asian Cup. This is also the third consecutive time U23 Vietnam has won the regional championship, an affirmation of the country's football position.
