Sharing at a press conference after the AFC U23 Championship 2026 semi-final match held on the evening of January 20 (Vietnam time), coach Kim Sang-sik said that the early goal conceded in the second half greatly affected the playing psychology of his students.
He said: "It's football, there are plans but the match dien bien is not according to plan. In the second half, the players conceded early goals, lost confidence, leading to bad situations.
According to coach Kim Sang-sik, although they could not win a ticket to the final, U23 Vietnam still showed progress throughout the journey at the tournament. "From the first match to today, we have always faced strong teams, but the players played well, making me satisfied with their performance. Of course, the players need to improve a lot after this tournament," Mr. Kim assessed.
The Korean "strategyman" also revealed that he was forced to change personnel plans due to Hieu Minh's serious injury in the first half.
I calculated in the second half, I put Dinh Bac on the field. But in the first half, we lost Hieu Minh due to serious injury. Therefore, U23 Vietnam had to change the plan," coach Kim Sang-sik said.
The head coach of U23 Vietnam could not hide his sadness after the defeat, but still emphasized the fighting spirit of the whole team. "We are sad because we could not win. I would like to thank the fans, the players played their best, the fans also cheered their best until the last minute. U23 Vietnam still has a third-place match with U23 Korea, the whole team focuses all their strength in this match," Mr. Kim affirmed.
U23 Vietnam will meet U23 Korea in the third-place match on January 23, closing the journey at the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals.
