Hat-trick of Southeast Asian championships: When U23 Vietnam is on the rise

easy final

The final match of the 2025 U23 Southeast Asia Championship between U23 Vietnam and U23 Indonesia ended with a 1-0 victory for coach Kim Sang Sik and his team. The minimal score did not fully reflect the overall situation of the match, because in reality, this was a relatively easy victory for the red team.

Without having to control the ball too much, U23 Vietnam took the initiative. The red team blocked well the attacking spearheads of U23 Indonesia such as Jens Raven or Rayhan Hannan, while the midfield played solidly and experienced, forcing the home team to deploy the ball in a passive state.

U23 Vietnam plays proactively and has more experience than U23 Indonesia . Photo by Hoang Hai

The attacks of U23 Indonesia were almost ineffective, especially in the second half when the home team's physical strength significantly decreased.

The only goal came from a set piece – a strong point throughout the U23 Vietnam journey at the tournament. But what was more important was the composure, bravery and ability to control the game of coach Kim Sang Sik’s players, something that U23 Indonesia – despite having home field advantage – could not match.

To be fair, U23 Vietnam with their superior battle experience gave the home team almost no chance to turn the situation around, despite spending more than half of the match pushing Mr. Kim Sang Sik's team back to their own half.

Well deserved championship

Without the need for fiery play or resounding victories, U23 Vietnam still steadily progresses towards the third consecutive championship.

Under the guidance of coach Kim Sang Sik, U23 Vietnam has shown stability, tactical discipline and, more importantly, experienced players to once again help Vietnamese youth football fly high in the regional arena.

U23 Vietnam scored a hat-trick of Southeast Asian championships. Photo by Hoang Hai

It is worth mentioning that this is not the best version of U23 Vietnam. Some key players such as Dinh Bac, Thai Son or Viktor Le have not reached their peak performance as expected.

However, thanks to the bravery in the decision to change players, rotate the force and calculate the cunning tactics that coach Kim Sang Sik made, U23 Vietnam still followed the set plan.

In addition, the opponents in the tournament that just ended on the archipelago from U23 Laos, Cambodia, Philippines to host Indonesia are still far behind U23 Vietnam in terms of experience, skills... Therefore, coach Kim Sang Sik and his team's advancement to the championship is also very worthy and easy.

Vietnamnet.vn