After a thrilling victory over Thailand U22 in the 33rd SEA Games final, Vietnam U22 officially won the gold medal. Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team have ended an emotional journey with an impressive comeback.
Coach Kim Sang-sik could not hide his joy when the Vietnamese teams continuously reaped success in 2025. He said: I am very happy that the national team won the championship at the beginning of the year, and now U22 also won the SEA Games. This is a very happy feeling".
Evaluating the final match, the Korean strategist admitted the difficulties that U22 Vietnam encountered in the first half when conceding 2 goals.
However, careful preparation and a resilient competitive spirit helped the team overcome the pressure: "We have a clear preparation process and plan, and have practiced very well. At the beginning of the match, they were somewhat mentally heavy, and could be affected by the audience, but the better they played, the more they gave their all. I am very proud of the players".
With the 33rd SEA Games championship, coach Kim Sang-sik believes that the confidence that U22 Vietnam will have will be an important foundation for the upcoming goals.
Winning two championships in Indonesia and Thailand will help the team feel more confident when entering the U23 Asian Cup finals, and the whole team will try to create good results, said Mr. Kim Sang-sik.
From a player's perspective, midfielder Minh Phuc said that the whole team faced many psychological challenges after falling behind early, but mutual encouragement helped U22 Vietnam stand firm: "In the first half, the team's game was not good. After conceding the goal, the brothers were a bit overwhelmed but encouraged each other to fight. Before the match, the whole team had promised each other to win gold medals, so everyone tried to look up to the stands to play."
Minh Phuc also emphasized the role of the coaching staff in adjusting tactics in difficult times: The changes are not because individuals are not playing well but because the game situation is not suitable, forcing innovation. Everyone who enters the stadium fights. In the middle of the break, the coach said that if the opponent scored two goals, he could do it, and that helped the whole team gain more confidence".
Meanwhile, Thanh Nhan - the deciding goal scorer in the extra half said that coach Kim Sang-sik's words of encouragement gave the whole team more spirit: "In the middle of the half, the coach encouraged the brothers to play their best, it was okay to lose. That helped the whole team stay mentally excited and continue fighting, and in the end we got it done.
With the 33rd SEA Games championship, coach Kim Sang-sik believes that the confidence that U22 Vietnam will have will be an important foundation for the upcoming goals.
The victory over U22 Thailand not only brought home the SEA Games gold medal, but also showed the bravery, spirit of overcoming difficulties and clear maturity of the young generation of Vietnamese players under coach Kim Sang-sik.
