Coach Kim Sang Sik: ‘In the second half, many Vietnamese players lost their stamina’

Coach Kim Sang Sik confirmed that the inadequate field conditions and bad weather, along with the decline in many players’ stamina in the second half, were the reasons why the Vietnam national team could not achieve a big win against Nepal.

Following the 3-1 victory five days ago, the Vietnam national team continued to defeat Nepal 1-0 in Group F of the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, held tonight (October 14) at Thong Nhat Stadium (Ho Chi Minh City).

However, the only goal Vietnam scored in the second leg came from an own goal by Nepal’s Suman Shrestha in the first half.

At the post-match press conference, head coach Kim Sang Sik said: "The weather conditions today were unfavorable, so I am quite disappointed that the Vietnam team did not score more goals.

The poor pitch, affected by the weather, prevented us from implementing our planned strategies. However, with 3 points secured, Vietnam has achieved its goal before the match.

This is a home game, and we were rated higher, but the players appeared regretful and somewhat hurried in their ball control situations.

Especially in the second half, some players lost their strength and could not properly carry out the tactical demands from the coaching staff."

The Korean coach added: "We prepared tactics for attacking and building play in the final third of the opponent’s half, but the players did not perform well. As for the bad weather, it was an uncontrollable factor.

In the next training camp, the coaching staff will work more closely with the players to enhance individual abilities for each position, as well as the overall tactical efficiency of the Vietnam national team."

Kim Sang Sik also noted: "Hieu Minh, Thanh Nhan, and Trung Kien played — this is not a reward I gave them but a sign that the Vietnam team always has healthy competition for positions.