Van Truong admitted that U.23 Vietnam lacked a real goalscorer, coach Kim took special action.

U.23 Vietnam had an impressive comeback against the Philippines thanks to goals from Dinh Bac and Xuan Bac, but the lack of accuracy in finishing is still an issue that needs improvement. Midfielder Van Truong believes that the team still lacks a 'real goalscorer' to make the most of opportunities and hopes to see improvements in the upcoming final match.

Vietnam U.23 strikers wasted many opportunities

Vietnam U23 team won 2-1 against Philippines U23 team in the semi-final of the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship on July 25 and won a ticket to the final, continuing their journey to defend their title. Despite many difficulties, especially after falling behind, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team focused on attacking and successfully turned the tables with goals from Dinh Bac and Xuan Bac.

Coach Kim Sang-sik regrets his student's missed shot

Photo: Dong Nguyen Khang

If his shot was more accurate, Dinh Bac could have had at least 2 goals.

Photo: Dong Nguyen Khang

Xuan Bac shines with a beautiful header

Photo: Dong Nguyen Khang

Van Thuan's unfortunate miss

Photo: Dong Nguyen Khang

U.23 Vietnam really went through many difficult moments, not because the other team played too well but because the strikers wasted too many opportunities. If the players had been more careful and had sharper shots, U.23 Vietnam could have opened the score very early. Even when they had equalized and taken a 2-1 lead, there were still some obvious missed shots that made coach Kim Sang-sik hold his head in regret.

Van Truong (shirt number 8) was in the starting lineup in all 3 recent matches.

Photo: Dong Nguyen Khang

Sharing with FPT Play after the match, midfielder Van Truong frankly admitted this weakness of the team.

He shared: "This match was very hard for the guys. Everyone ran for 95 minutes to bring home the victory. After 3 matches, I think the more everyone plays together, the more connected they become, although it's not really smooth, but I'm satisfied with the guys' match today."

Answering the reporter's question about whether U.23 Vietnam is lacking a real striker, Van Truong did not avoid: "The team is still lacking a real striker. Coach Kim Sang-sik will definitely make adjustments for the players. We need to improve our finishing ability in the next matches."

Highlight U.23 Vietnam 2-1 U.23 Philippines: Hard-fought but worthy victory

The whole team watched the semi-final 2

Speaking at the post-match press conference, head coach Kim Sang-sik also talked about the issue of the strikers missing too many chances: "I am very happy to win and reach the final. The players tried very hard, I want to thank them. All positions played well, performing exactly as we prepared. The players followed the tactics well. We were given many opportunities, won 2-1 but missed many opportunities. However, I am very happy with this result."

Assessing the possibility of meeting host U23 Indonesia in the final, coach Kim Sang-sik said: “We have not faced U23 Indonesia under the new coach. I need to watch their semi-final match to analyze the difference from the time of coach Shin Tae-yong. However, the important thing is that we must be ready for any opponent.”

Coach Kim Sang-sik stayed at the stadium to watch the second semi-final match.

Photo: Dong Nguyen Khang

U.23 Vietnam had dinner while watching the second semi-final match between Thailand and Indonesia.

Photo: VFF

After the match, Coach Kim Sang-sik continued to stay at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium (Jakarta, Indonesia) to watch the second semi-final match between U.23 Indonesia and U.23 Thailand. Meanwhile, the U.23 Vietnam players also had dinner and watched the match on a big screen in the hotel dining room.

Watch the full 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 Football Championship Mandiri Cup™ on FPT Play, visit http://fptplay.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/van-truong-thua-nhan-u23-viet-nam-thieu-cay-san-ban-thuc-thu-thay-kim-co-hanh-dong-dac-biet-185250725220531611.htm