Coach Kim Sang-sik: 'Playing U23 Philippines is like a final match'

After the hard-fought victory over U23 Cambodia on the evening of July 22, coach Kim Sang-sik sent a strong message to the entire U23 Vietnam team before the important journey ahead.

Coach Kim Sang-sik encourages his players before the match with U23 Philippines. Photo: VFF .

“I have a few words after the victory to the players who have not played and the players who have played. You have worked very hard today. We have two more matches ahead. You must think of both upcoming matches as finals, including the semi-final against the Philippines,” coach Kim told his players in the locker room, according to the VFF homepage.

The 2-1 victory over U23 Cambodia helped U23 Vietnam take the top spot in Group B and enter the semi-finals of the U23 Southeast Asian tournament. However, the performance of the "Golden Star Warriors" in the match was not convincing enough. Coach Kim Sang-sik's players failed to create an overwhelming game, missed many opportunities and almost let their opponents hold them to a draw. The lack of solidity in defense and ineffective finishing are points that need to be improved if they want to go further.

The next challenge for U23 Vietnam is U23 Philippines, the second-placed team with the best record and entering the semi-finals of the tournament for the first time. Not only is the U23 Philippines excited in spirit, it also has a squad of naturalized players with outstanding physique and physical strength. In that situation, Coach Kim emphasized: “We have to prepare well. For the next two matches, we have to manage our bodies well, both physically, eating and resting are very important. We are performing very well and everyone should be more confident and braver. Everyone should trust each other and play well."

In the post-match press conference, Mr. Kim Sang-sik said that the Philippines was a more suitable opponent than Indonesia. However, U23 Vietnam cannot be complacent, especially when the tournament has entered the knockout round, where every mistake will be paid for.

Source: https://znews.vn/hlv-kim-sang-sik-dau-u23-philippines-nhu-tran-chung-ket-post1570997.html