Ahead of the 33rd SEA Games men's football semi-final, goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien affirmed his determination to maintain high concentration, considering the goal of protecting the net as the top goal for U22 Vietnam to achieve the best results.
On the afternoon of December 13, the U22 Vietnam team continued to take off their shoes to the training ground, urgently completing the final preparations for the semi-final match of the 33rd SEA Games men's football against the U22 Philippines.
Due to the familiar training ground of the team being entangled with the event schedule of the home team, the Organizing Committee has arranged a new training location. Although the travel distance is longer, the training ground has an airy space and good grass quality, creating favorable conditions for the whole team to maintain the training pace.
In this training session, coach Kim Sang-sik spent most of his time on tactical content, especially emphasizing the coordination between lines, the ability to move without the ball and change the state in both attack and defense.
These are considered key factors when U22 Vietnam enters the knockout round, where the slightest mistake can also affect the final result.
Before the training session, goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien shared with the media about the team spirit as well as personal goals. He said that after the victory over U22 Malaysia, the players quickly returned to the training session, closely following the coaching staff's training program to prepare for the match against U22 Philippines.
According to Trung Kien, the victory with the imposed playing style against U22 Malaysia created a big boost in spirit and was the motivation to help the whole team feel more confident to continue to perform well in the semi-final match.
He also said that the coaching staff always organizes meetings after each match to analyze the advantages and disadvantages, thereby making timely adjustments during the training process.
Evaluating the U22 Philippines, Tran Trung Kien showed respect for their opponents. Although U22 Vietnam beat U22 Philippines in the semi-finals of the U23 Southeast Asian Championship, Trung Kien said that he cannot be subjective: "I don't think there are many differences. U22 Philippines is still a strong opponent. They beat Indonesia in the group stage and the whole team is well aware of that.
Regarding limiting goals conceded, especially from set pieces, Trung Kien said that the coaching staff had carefully analyzed the bad moves so that the whole team could learn from experience.
Sharing about personal goals at the 33rd SEA Games, Tran Trung Kien affirmed that he always sets a goal of trying not to concede any goals, thereby contributing to the overall results of the whole team.
He also emphasized the healthy competitive spirit in the squad: There is competition in any environment. No matter who I am or who is on the field, when I have the opportunity to compete, I will focus and try my best.
The semi-final match between U22 Vietnam and U22 Philippines will take place at 3:30 p.m. on December 15 at Rajamangala Stadium.
