Despite injuries and the disadvantage of playing away, head coach Kim Sang Sik remains confident that the Vietnamese national football team can defeat Malaysia in their upcoming clash on June 10.

Regret over Cong Phuong’s injury

Compared to Malaysia, Vietnam has had only about 10 days of preparation, and the squad has been depleted by a wave of injuries. Coach Kim Sang Sik acknowledged, "Some players from Hanoi Police and Binh Duong FCs joined the training camp late, which slightly affected our preparations. However, the team quickly adapted and has shown great training spirit."

Coach Kim also addressed the inclusion of Vietnamese-French dual national Cao Quang Vinh and the unfortunate injury that ruled out star striker Cong Phuong: “Quang Vinh is a versatile player who can feature as a left-sided center-back, full-back, or winger. His presence adds flexibility to our tactics. I’m continuing to analyze how best to leverage his strengths.”

 “This was Cong Phuong’s first call-up under my tenure, but unfortunately, he sustained an injury and had to leave the team. It’s a significant loss, as his experience would have been invaluable for the match against Malaysia. Still, with the remaining 23 players, we are refining our gameplay and making the best possible preparations for the upcoming match.”

Overcoming away pressure to defeat Malaysia

Speaking about the Malaysian team, Coach Kim Sang Sik said: “Malaysia now has about 8–10 newly naturalized players compared to their last tournament, making tactical analysis more challenging. We are continuing to monitor and analyze to prepare accordingly.”

“The fact that Malaysia hasn’t beaten Vietnam in over a decade is remarkable, especially considering Malaysia and Thailand have long been our fiercest regional rivals. This record is a reflection of our meticulous preparation and the players’ confidence.”

Addressing the pressure of playing away, the South Korean coach noted, “We’ve already experienced intense crowd pressure during the second leg of the 2024 ASEAN Cup final at Rajamangala Stadium in Thailand. I believe what matters most is that players trust themselves, their teammates, and the coaching staff to overcome pressure and aim for the best result.”

“All matches carry pressure, but joy is doubled when we overcome adversity and win. I always trust our players to stay united and give their all. Although the qualifiers are played in a home-and-away format, we aim to drop no points and are targeting all three in the next match. Ultimately, victory is always Vietnam’s top goal,” Coach Kim concluded with high confidence.

Dai Nam