On the afternoon of December 3, U22 Vietnam had the opening 2-1 victory over U22 Laos in Group B of the 33rd SEA Games men's football tournament, in the match taking place at Rajamangala Stadium on the afternoon of December 3.
After the match, coach Kim Sang-sik gave comments on the team's performance and explained the situation where he received a yellow card in the second half.
Sharing at the post-match press conference, the Korean strategist assessed the team's performance in the opening match: "It's the same at all times, the opening matches in all tournaments are difficult.
But overall, I am satisfied with the performance of the students. I just felt sorry for the unnecessary goal conceded in the first half.
The victory over U22 Laos brought home 3 important points to aim for a ticket to the semi-finals. However, we still have a lot to improve, looking forward to the important match with U22 Malaysia to complete our goal".
The notable highlight of the second half was that coach Kim Sang-sik received a yellow card for reacting to the referee in the 60th minute.
He explained his decision clearly: At that time, I was forced to react strongly when the referee did not recognize the goal. Obviously, in that situation, Quoc Viet could not be offside when Dinh Bac shot.
That is the reason why I have to react strongly to the referee to get justice, despite receiving a yellow card. Fortunately, the goal was recognized and I am satisfied because my yellow card brought the goal for U22 Vietnam".
Regarding the personnel changes in the second half, coach Kim Sang-sik said he had prepared for the human resource plan: "After the first half, I talked a lot with the substitutes and chose to give them a chance from the 60th minute, depending on the match. In general, all the players made me satisfied.
At the end of the press conference, the coach born in 1976 praised his opponents: "They are playing better and better and causing many difficulties for U22 Vietnam.
I congratulate the performance of U22 Laos today. For their part, U22 Vietnam will try their best to win against U22 Malaysia.
With the first 3 points, U22 Vietnam has an advantage in the race for a ticket to the semi-finals, while the match against U22 Malaysia is expected to be an important test for the ambition to compete for medals at the 33rd SEA Games.
