Vientiane, 19 November 2025 – Vietnam beat Laos 2-0 to extend their winning streak in the Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers, but head coach Kim Sang-sik acknowledged the team’s performance was far from ideal and requires further improvement.
Vietnam earned a 2-0 victory over Laos on the night of 19 November in the fifth round of the Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers, securing their third consecutive win in the campaign. Goals from Nguyen Xuan Son and Tuan Hai kept the team just three points behind group leaders Malaysia heading into the final matchday. Despite the result, head coach Kim Sang-sik stressed that the performance did not meet expectations.
Vietnam struggled in the first half and were held 0-0 by a disciplined and energetic Laos defence. The breakthrough only came in the 68th minute, when Xuan Son confidently converted a penalty to open the scoring. In stoppage time, Tuan Hai sealed the win 2-0 after capitalising on a mistake by the Laos goalkeeper. While the goals secured three points, Kim Sang-sik admitted the overall display lacked cohesion and fluidity.
“Laos defended very well. Even so, we completed our task by scoring and earning the win,” coach Kim said after the match. “This is our last game of 2025, and I want to thank the players and the supporters for their contributions throughout the year.”
In an effort to increase attacking pressure, Kim deployed an aggressive 4-2-4 system in the second half, fielding six offensive players. Nguyen Quang Hai and Nguyen Hoang Duc operated together in midfield, while Gia Hung, Hai Long, Tuan Hai and Xuan Son formed a four-man attack. Although the tactical shift produced two goals, Kim admitted the execution was not as sharp as expected, and the players still need time to adapt.
“I wanted to try a new system to improve our attacking transitions, which is why I used both Quang Hai and Hoang Duc,” Kim explained. “But the performance did not match what we hoped for. We analysed Laos very thoroughly, but there was a clear gap between training and the reality on the pitch. We must improve further.”
Vietnam close out 2025 with five wins and one loss, though all five victories came against weaker opponents such as Laos (5-0, 2-0), Nepal (3-1, 1-0) and Cambodia (2-1). Their only match against an equal-strength team ended in a heavy 0-4 defeat to Malaysia.
With 12 points after five matches, Vietnam trail Malaysia by three points in Group F. If the Asian Football Confederation ultimately rules Malaysia to have forfeited matches due to alleged citizenship violations involving seven naturalised players, Vietnam would qualify directly for the Asian Cup 2027. For now, the team will enter a four-month break before hosting Malaysia in March 2026 in what could be a decisive showdown for the group’s top spot.
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