Right after the impressive 3-0 victory of U23 Vietnam over U23 Laos in the opening match of the group stage of U23 Southeast Asia, head coach Kim Sang-sik shared optimism at the press conference after the match.
At the beginning of the press conference, the Korean coach could not hide his satisfaction when his team had a smooth start. He said: I am very happy with the 3-0 victory in the first match. I would like to thank the Vietnamese fans who came to the stadium to cheer for the whole team, as well as the fans who watched it on television.
U23 Laos defended tightly from the first minutes. Then we scored thanks to the players' efforts. The important thing is that we have a balance between defense and attack."
One of the highlights of the match was the double goal from defender Nguyen Hieu Minh. When asked about the goals not coming from the strikers, coach Kim Sang-sik maintained a calm and optimistic attitude: "I am very happy, whoever scores can score. Congratulations to Hieu Minh for scoring 2 goals".
When asked about the possibility of facing the host team U23 Indonesia in the next round, Mr. Kim admitted the strength of the opponent but emphasized that the immediate goal is still each specific match.
U23 Indonesia is very strong and well organized. However, we have only played 1 match and need to focus on each match instead of thinking too much. We should focus on ourselves, play as planned, that is the important thing," said coach Kim Sang-sik.
On the other side of the front line, the head coach of Laos U23 - Mr. Ha Hyeok-jun, also gave a frank assessment of the difference between the two teams. He said: "As predicted, U23 Vietnam is very strong. We have tried our best and made efforts to show off. From this tournament, U23 Laos will learn many lessons and try harder in the following tournaments.
Lao football cannot be compared to Vietnam and Thailand. The Lao national championship is much less developed than other tournaments in the region. Therefore, it is very difficult for us to find good players".
In the next round of Group B, U23 Vietnam will face U23 Cambodia on July 22.
