Hanoi, 4 June, 2025 – Despite the loss of key players ahead of the crucial match in the Asian Cup qualifiers, Coach Kim Sang-sik still believes in Vietnam’s ability to extend their unbeaten streak against Malaysia to 11 years.
After nearly a week of preparation for the match against Malaysia, Coach Kim Sang-sik expressed satisfaction with the team’s spirit and training attitude: “The team has been focused since May 30. Some players from Hanoi Police FC and Binh Duong joined late, causing a slight difficulty in preparation, but the whole team quickly adapted and showed excellent training spirit.”
Regarding the team situation, especially the recent absence of forward Nguyen Cong Phuong due to injury, Coach Kim Sang-sik shared: “Cong Phuong was called up for the first time under my coaching, but unfortunately, he got injured and had to leave the team. This is a big loss because his experience would have been very helpful in the match against Malaysia. However, with the remaining 23 players, the team will continue to improve our playing style and prepare the best for the upcoming match.”
When asked about Vietnam’s superior head-to-head record against Malaysia over the past decade, Coach Kim Sang-sik commented: “Malaysia’s inability to beat Vietnam for over 10 years is quite special, especially as they, like Thailand, are one of our long-standing rivals. However, this achievement partly reflects the meticulous preparation and confidence of Vietnamese players. I hope the team will continue to maintain this confidence in the upcoming match.”
Nevertheless, the South Korean coach candidly admitted the challenges in terms of squad strength, with several key players absent due to injuries, while Malaysia has added many new naturalized players: “According to the information we have, Malaysia has about 8-10 new naturalized players compared to the last tournament, making tactical analysis of the opponent more difficult. We will continue to monitor and analyze to prepare the best. All the players are making maximum effort to be ready for the away match on June 10.”
As scheduled, the Vietnam national team will depart for Malaysia on the morning of June 6. Coach Kim Sang-sik reaffirmed the team’s unchanging goal: “All matches are very pressured, but the joy will be doubled when we overcome difficulties and win. I always believe that the players will unite and make efforts to overcome the challenges. Although the qualifiers are played in a home-and-away format, we don’t want to drop any points and aim to win all three points in the next match. In general, winning is always the highest goal for the Vietnam national team.”
According to the schedule, the Vietnam national team will face Malaysia at Bukit Jalil Stadium at 20:00 on June 10 in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying match.
Dang Long
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