A smiling Coach Kim Sang-sik after the match. — Photo VFF

VIỆT TRÌ — Coach Kim Sang-sik trusts that the Vietnamese national team's victory over Thailand is significant, giving fans renewed hope for 2025.

On Thursday evening, the Vietnamese team beat Thailand 2-1 in the first leg of the 2024 ASEAN Cup finals at Việt Trì Stadium in Phú Thọ Province, gaining an advantage before the second leg at Rajamangala Stadium of Thailand this Sunday.

In the post-match press conference, Coach Kim said: "Former national coach Park Hang-seo once said that the Vietnamese team are no longer afraid of the Thai team. After today's victory, we have demonstrated our strength against our opponents; there is no mountain that cannot be overcome. I know that the Vietnamese team haven't won against Thailand at home for 27 years, so today’s victory is very important, bringing our fans new hope as we start 2025."

Evaluating the opponent, the South Korean coach said that he and his staff frequently analyse their rivals before each match to devise corresponding tactics, employing different strategies with the common goal of achieving victory.

"In this match, we assessed that the Thai players possess good physical strength and height, so I instructed Nguyễn Xuân Son to play aggressively. Not only Son, but all the players performed admirably and demonstrated their desire to win. I am satisfied with the 2-1 victory, yes we could have won by a larger margin, but the players need to work on their mentality and gain experience to prepare for the second leg. After this match, we will analyse our performance again and rest before heading to Bangkok for the second leg," Kim said.

Additionally, Kim noted that a lack of caution at the end of the match led to the Vietnamese team conceding a goal. This experience will serve as a lesson for the team to avoid negligence and improve in the second leg of the finals.

The 2-1 victory for Việt Nam was significantly aided by naturalised striker Son, who scored twice against goalkeeper Patiwat. Son's presence has greatly enhanced the Vietnamese team's attacking capabilities.

Regarding Son, Coach Kim added: "I am very happy to have Son on the team. He is an essential player and performed exceptionally well."

Coach Masatada Ishii of the Thai team acknowledged that the Vietnamese team were different compared to their friendly match in September, particularly with Son in the lineup. "Son is a player of high quality. In this match, our players made some mistakes that allowed Son to score," Ishii noted.

Previously, in their two semi-final matches against the Philippines, the Thai team also faced a 1-2 defeat in the first leg, but won 3-1 in the second leg, advancing to the finals with a total score of 4-3. However, Coach Ishii remarked that the circumstances of the two first-leg matches were entirely different, so it is uncertain whether Thailand will achieve a favourable result at home.

The Japanese coach emphasised that historical data, with Thailand not losing to Việt Nam away in 27 years, was not the defining issue. The primary goal for the Thai team is the development of their players following this tournament, he said. OVN