Indonesia, 19 July, 2025 – U23 Vietnam made a strong statement in their opening match of the 2025 ASEAN U23 Championship, defeating U23 Laos 3-0 on the evening of July 19, thanks to a goal from Khuat Van Khang and a brace by center-back Nguyen Hieu Minh.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, head coach Kim Sang Sik expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance. “I’m very happy with the 3-0 victory in our first match. I want to thank the Vietnamese supporters who came to the stadium and also those who watched from home. U23 Laos defended tightly from the beginning, but we managed to score through the players’ efforts. The most important thing is that we maintained good balance between defense and attack and secured the win,” he stated.
Defender Nguyen Hieu Minh, who netted twice, also shared his joy: “I want to thank all the fans who supported us. I’m very happy to score two goals. This will be a great motivation for me to perform even better in the upcoming matches.”
When asked by an Indonesian reporter about two of the team’s three goals coming from a defender instead of a forward, coach Kim responded with a smile: “I’m happy no matter who scores. Congratulations to Hieu Minh for scoring twice.”
Several follow-up questions from Indonesian journalists focused on the potential semifinal opponents and the strength of U23 Indonesia. Coach Kim, however, remained composed and diplomatic in his reply. “U23 Indonesia is a strong and well-organized team. But we’ve only played one match so far. We’re focused on each game, step by step. The most important thing is that we stay focused on ourselves, stick to our training, and execute our game plan properly,” he explained.
U23 Vietnam will play their second group stage match against U23 Cambodia at 8:00 PM on July 22 at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium. A win would secure their place in the semifinals as group leaders.
Lam Van
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