Everyone can guess what the Korean coach will do, but it is noteworthy that before leaving, he said: "Laos's number 1 priority is not to let the Vietnamese team score". Not a strong statement, but everyone understands that not scoring means not being able to win! Of course, he highly appreciated the strength of the Vietnam National Team, and the ability of Tien Linh and his teammates to "want my players to be able to play like that", but when he believed "they could do it", it was another step forward for the Laos National Team.
Head-to-head statistics show that since 2007, the Laos team has lost all 8 matches against the Vietnam team, not even scoring any goals in 7 consecutive matches before scoring against Nguyen Dinh Trieu in the recent 1-4 loss at the ASEAN Cup. Even the goal from the 11m mark in the extra minutes can still be considered a significant improvement of the Laos team under the 54-year-old coach.
Because in reality, before conceding the goal in the 58th minute, they played well and performed well. And it should also be remembered that, in addition to scoring against the Vietnam team, they have held Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines to a draw. The fact that Lao players are still inexperienced is understandable (because the squad has quite a lot of young players), but with what they have shown, they are on the right track. And that is also the point that coach Kim Sang-sik needs to be careful about, especially when many experts assess that the qualifying stage of the Vietnam team is not too difficult against the Laos team and 2 other opponents, Malaysia and Nepal.
Having studied a trade in Europe, having a UEFA Pro certificate and working in Korea, China, and Southeast Asia are also details that should not underestimate Mr. Kim Sang-sik, his compatriot.
