On the evening of March 25, in the opening match of Group F of the 2027 Asian Cup final qualifiers at Binh Duong Stadium, the Lao team suffered a 0-5 defeat to the Vietnam team. After this match, coach Ha Hyeok-jun of the Laos team gave many compliments to the Vietnam team.
"First of all, I would like to congratulate the Vietnam team. In this match, we know that the Vietnamese team is a strong team. I do not impress any individual player on the Vietnam team. I impress the whole team with the way they organize and implement the tactics," said coach Ha Hyeok-jun.
After the heavy defeat, the Korean coach also expressed his desire to help the Lao football community find a way to shorten the gap in qualifications with the leading football regions in the region such as Vietnam and Thailand.
"From the first day I arrived in Laos, I knew the gap between Laos and Vietnam as well as developed countries. I am still working to solve that problem. This time we have less than 10 days to prepare. I hope to reduce the gap between Lao football and Vietnam and Thailand. We still have time to prepare for the SEA Games," Mr. Ha Hyeok-jun emphasized.
"Our average age is around 21 and 22. This is not really preparation. I always choose the best players, even though they are young. This is like the 2024 ASEAN Cup, our squad is among the youngest," the Korean coach added.
