At the press conference before the opening match of Group B of the 33rd SEA Games men's football tournament taking place on the afternoon of December 2 at Rajamangala Stadium (Bangkok, Thailand), coach Ha Hyeok-jun said that the Lao U22 team entered the tournament with the goal of matching their abilities, while still hoping for a place in the semi-finals.
Sharing at the press conference, the Korean coach said: "Our goal is very clear and actual, which is to win 1 match and lose 1 match. Hopefully we can qualify for the semi-finals".
He also emphasized that the Lao U22 squad has 2 players competing in Thailand, Phoutthavong Sangvilay (BG Pathum United) and Sayfon Keohanam (Suphanburi) and hopes that this duo will help the team achieve the goal.
U22 Laos is in the same group as U22 Vietnam and U22 Malaysia. According to experts, coach Ha Hyeok-jun's team is likely to aim to find a point against Malaysia, because in the most recent meeting at the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship, Laos lost 0-3 to Vietnam. The players who scored in that match included Khuat Van Khang and Nguyen Hieu Minh (double).
Coach Ha Hyeok-jun said that the recent preparation time has helped the squad improve significantly: "In terms of preparation, we did our best when making the most of the concentration time. The first match is always very important and I hope to have a good result".
He also paid respect to his colleague Kim Sang-sik, head coach of U22 Vietnam: "Coach Kim Sang-sik and I have met many times before. In 2024 alone, we met 4 times. Coach Kim Sang-sik has helped Vietnamese football improve a lot. We have also improved in many aspects. We will try our best to play to get good results".
Coach Ha Hyeok-jun shared that the Laos U22 team received great support from domestic fans and the community in Thailand: "Laos only has more than 7 million people, but the Laos U22 team has many people cheering. Officials in Thailand will also come here to monitor the team. Hopefully we will bring something special to the fans".
The match between U22 Laos and U22 Vietnam will take place at 4:00 p.m. tomorrow (December 3).
