Defeated Thailand and won the ‘Southeast Asia World Cup’ within 6 months of taking office
Asian Cup qualifiers and Southeast Asian Games scheduled for 2025
Coach Kim Sang-sik, who led Vietnam to victory in his first tournament, revealed his grand dream of participating in the FIFA World Cup.
Coach Kim Sang-sik said in a video press conference with domestic reporters on the 7th, “I want to lead Vietnam to the World Cup.”
Coach Kim Sang-sik, who returned to the field after about a year after taking charge of Vietnam in June last year, rose to the top of the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup (Mitsubishi Cup), called the ‘Southeast Asia World Cup’, within six months of taking charge.
The content was flawless.
Coach Kim Sang-sik’s Vietnam, which had only one win in five games before the tournament, continued its undefeated streak with five wins and one draw until the Mitsubishi Cup semifinals. They also defeated coach Shin Tae-yong’s Indonesia, a ‘difficult enemy’, 1-0.
The highlight was the final against Thailand. In the first leg of the finals played at home, Vietnam won 2-1. It was the first time in 27 years that Vietnam defeated Thailand at home. And in the second game held in Bangkok, they avenged their loss in the finals of the 2022 tournament by winning 3-2 despite allowing an unethical goal.
The Vietnamese people enthusiastically welcomed coach Kim Sang-sik and his players, who achieved two consecutive wins over their rival Thailand. Reporters chanted ‘Kim Sang-sik’ at a press conference immediately after winning, and the government awarded the first-class labor medal to the athletes. The excitement in downtown Vietnam was great, with the Vietnamese flag and Taegeukgi waving.
Coach Kim Sang-sik said, “After winning in Thailand, I first watched the situation in Vietnam on TV. After arriving in Vietnam, I went out on the streets and many people cheered me on. “I was surprised by the crowds,” he said. “I watched the enthusiasm of Vietnam during coach Park Hang-seo’s time through the media, and I was deeply moved to actually receive that support.”
The overwhelming support of Vietnamese fans is expected to be a great help to coach Kim Sang-sik in the future. Former coach Park Hang-seo also received great support after finishing as runner-up in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U23 Asian Cup, his first appearance since taking over as head coach of Vietnam, and continued his success without any noise.
Director Kim Sang-sik, who eliminated doubts about himself and gained confidence, spent 2025 with confidence.
Coach Kim said, “We will play well in the upcoming Asian Cup preliminaries and secure a spot in the finals. And I will challenge to win the Southeast Asian Games (SEA) as well. “This is just the beginning,” he said. “We will strive to achieve good results and help Vietnamese soccer develop.” “I also want to participate in the World Cup,” he said.
To this end, coach Kim Sang-sik plans to naturalize players like Nguyen Xuan Son, who successfully debuted in the Mitsubishi Cup. Nguyen Xuan Son, born in Brazil, made his debut for the Vietnam national team through the Mitsubishi Cup and contributed greatly to the victory by scoring seven goals.
Coach Kim said, “We need to discover additional naturalized players in line with the times. We are preparing for Vietnamese soccer to develop into a competitive team in Asia beyond Southeast Asia. “I will find my feet and look for good players,” he said.
Director Kim Sang-sik plans to stay in Vietnam and complete the local schedule before returning to Korea and spending the Lunar New Year holiday with his family.
Afterwards, preparations for the Asian Cup preliminaries will begin in March. Vietnam will compete with Laos, Malaysia and Nepal for a spot in the Asian Cup finals.
(Seoul = News 1)
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