Before the 33rd SEA Games men's football final against host Thailand, coach Kim Sang-sik expressed confidence in the ability of U22 Vietnam to win a gold medal, based on the achievements of the national team in January.
"U22 Vietnam will win the championship at Rajamangala like the national team in January," Mr. Kim emphasized at a press conference on the morning of December 17 in Bangkok.
U22 Vietnam won a ticket to the final with the top spot in Group B after victories over U22 Laos 2-1 and U22 Malaysia 2-0, before defeating U22 Philippines 2-0 in the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, U22 Thailand beat U22 Timor Leste 6-1, U22 Singapore 3-0 and U22 Malaysia 1-0 to advance to the gold medal match.
The Korean coach assessed the final match as very difficult. "Thailand has many players with physical strength, speed and dribbling skills. We will have to prepare carefully.
Ly Duc and the defenders need to be careful in defense," Mr. Kim shared. He also noted that striker Yotsakorn Burapha is leading the list of top scorers with 6 goals as an important threat.
The 33rd SEA Games final was the second time this year that Mr. Kim led the Vietnamese teams to compete for the championship with Thailand at Rajamangala Stadium. "In January, the national team lifted the cup at this stadium. I hope the U22 players will also enjoy the same joy," he said.
Regarding the referee issue, Mr. Kim affirmed: "I do not think the referee is the biggest opponent. The important thing is that the players play safely and the referee creates conditions for the match to be fair."
This is the 3rd time in the last 4 SEA Games that Vietnam has entered the men's football finals. The history of the confrontation in the SEA Games final between Vietnam and Thailand recorded Thailand winning 4 matches, Vietnam won 1 match in 2022 thanks to a goal by Nham Manh Dung.
