Indonesia, 3 August 2026 – Coach Kim Sang-sik joked that black may be the only colour capable of bringing him good luck after Vietnam’s victory over Indonesia in the fourth round of Group A at the ASEAN Cup 2026 on Monday night.
Kim wore a black polo shirt when Vietnam opened their campaign with a commanding 7-0 win over Timor-Leste on July 24. One week later, he switched to a white shirt as his team were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by Singapore at My Dinh Stadium.
During the pre-match press conference ahead of the Indonesia clash, the 1976-born coach acknowledged that he was aware of supporters’ comments suggesting that his white shirt had brought bad luck. Kim returned to black for the match at Pakansari Stadium and watched his players produce an impressive 3-0 victory over the hosts.
“After the match, I sent my wife a message telling her to throw away all the white shirts in my wardrobe,” Kim said with a broad smile.
The black polo shirt has become closely associated with some of the most successful moments of Kim’s tenure. He wore it throughout Vietnam’s title-winning campaign at the ASEAN Cup 2024, followed by triumphs at the 2025 AFF U23 Championship and the SEA Games 33, where Vietnam claimed the gold medal.
Its supposed lucky run came to an end in the semifinals of the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup, when Vietnam suffered a 3-0 defeat to China. However, Kim’s side later drew 2-2 with South Korea before winning the bronze-medal match on penalties.
In addition to the black shirt, Kim is also regularly seen wearing a feng shui ring given to him by former Vietnam head coach Park Hang-seo.
Vietnam travelled to Indonesia under considerable pressure after struggling to break down Singapore in a goalless draw at My Dinh Stadium in their previous group match. Their performance at Pakansari Stadium on August 3, however, was completely transformed.
Kim made several personnel changes and instructed his players to press aggressively from the opening whistle. The tactical approach quickly produced results.
Within a nine-minute spell, Vietnam scored twice through Nguyen Van Vi and Nguyen Hai Long. Van Vi opened the scoring in the sixth minute before Hai Long doubled the advantage in the 15th, with both goals coming from well-constructed attacking moves.
Taking an early 2-0 lead gave Vietnam control of both the match and the psychological battle. Indonesia struggled to respond and were unable to create the kind of attacking breakthrough needed to change the momentum of the contest.
VSN/RPT
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