This afternoon (December 3), U22 Vietnam will meet U22 Laos in the opening match of the 33rd SEA Games men's football at Rajamangala Stadium (Bangkok, Thailand). This is considered an important start to the journey of coach Kim Sang-sik and his team in the tournament.
In theory, U22 Laos is a below-ground opponent, but this team has shown significant progress recently. Many players in the current squad have been present when the Laos team faced the Vietnam team in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, including Khounthoumphone, Xaysombath, Okham Latsachack, Damoth Thongkham Savath or Peter Phanthavong. In that match, Laos caused many difficulties with their tight defensive play and quick counter-attacks.
At the 33rd SEA Games, coach Ha Hyeok-jun affirmed that U22 Laos aims to create surprises, while being confident in the abilities of their students. The Korean coach is considered knowledgeable about Vietnamese football when he has faced many times at the national team level.
On the side of U22 Vietnam, coach Kim Sang-sik still maintains a cautious view, although his team is rated higher. After the Panda Cup 2025, the biggest problem that U22 Vietnam needs to improve is their finishing ability, having scored only 1 goal in the last 3 matches.
In the context of an 8-day break after the opening match, it is likely that U22 Vietnam will use its strongest squad to aim for all 3 points and create a goal advantage before meeting U22 Malaysia in the second match.
The match between U22 Vietnam and U22 Laos takes place at 4:00 p.m. on December 3.
Score prediction: U22 Vietnam 3-0 U22 Laos
