Great ambition
Up to now, U23 Vietnam has set an unprecedented milestone in the history of participating in the AFC U23 Championship finals. For the first time, "Golden Star Young Warriors" won all matches against all opponents to reach the semi-finals of the tournament (3 group stage matches, 1 quarter-final match). Even the generation of players who reached the 2018 final in Changzhou (China) could not achieve such an impressive result.
However, U23 Vietnam was not satisfied. At noon on January 17, just half a day after defeating U23 UAE in 120 minutes of competition, U23 Vietnam returned to the field to practice normally. In front of the media, more than 10 players successively shared their ambitions, aspirations, dreams and determination to a large number of domestic fans.
The players all affirmed that they will pass the semi-finals to equal the miracle that their seniors created 8 years ago. More specifically, Hieu Minh, Ly Duc, Quoc Cuong, Viktor Le also have ambitions to win the AFC U23 Championship, as the final destination of the journey in the "desert" of Saudi Arabia.
As shared by language assistant Do Anh Van, coach Kim Sang-sik wants the players to boost their morale to be ready for the 2026 AFC U23 Championship semi-final match. In terms of expertise, he absolutely trusts his students. In terms of competitive bravery, the Korean coach is also reassured by what the U23 Vietnam players have shown in the past 4 matches. What Mr. Kim and the coaching staff need more excitement from their students to create a breakthrough in the round where they can recreate a similar history to the tournament in Changzhou.
Even coach Kim Sang-sik set his own "KPI". He admitted that he misses Vietnamese pho very much, but is willing to put it aside to devote all his mind to the journey of U23 Vietnam at the 2026 AFC U23 Championship.
I will only think about pho when the team has gone as far as possible" - Mr. Kim Sang-sik shared.
Researching competitors
The fact that U23 Vietnam took the field to practice early at noon on January 17 was to serve the coaching staff watching the match between U23 China and U23 Uzbekistan in the afternoon of the same day. This is one of the two opponents to face U23 Vietnam in the semi-finals of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship. Notably, goalkeeper coach Lee Won-jae was also requested by Mr. Kim to accompany. The legend who has participated in the World Cup 4 times has meticulously recorded about goalkeeper Li Hao, who has kept a clean sheet in 4 matches and is the leader in the journey to the semi-finals of U23 China.
The careful preparation and research of both U23 Uzbekistan and U23 China shows how careful Mr. Kim Sang-sik is. This is also an affirmation of the mindset and ambition of U23 Vietnam, instead of just stopping at the story of playing the match, or that match.
It should be added that in the dressing room at the end of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship quarter-finals, the U23 Vietnam players still maintained a surprisingly calm attitude. The "Golden Star Warriors" still restrained their emotions for the next round or the final of the tournament.
The coldness of U23 Vietnam is proportional to confidence. Coach Kim Sang-sik's smile when knowing that his team will meet U23 China in the semi-finals further shows that U23 Vietnam is ready to aim for a victory against this opponent.
