HAGL Coach Points Out Goalkeeper Trung Kiên's Issue After U23 Asian Championship

HAGL's coach Lê Quang Trãi disclosed worrying information regarding goalkeeper Trần Trung Kiên after the win against Ninh Bình FC in the 13th round of the V-League.

HAGL caused a major upset by impressively securing all three points away at Ninh Bình FC’s stadium in the 13th round of the V-League.

However, the joy of victory for the Mountain Town team was somewhat overshadowed when coach Lê Quang Trãi revealed troubling news about goalkeeper Trần Trung Kiên. According to the 1977-born coach, Trung Kiên is currently exhausted both physically and mentally after returning from the 2026 U23 Asian Championship campaign.

Coach Lê Quang Trãi stated: "The goal of Vietnam U23 in the semifinal against China U23 was to reach the final. That defeat made everyone sad, and Trung Kiên himself was very upset. He suffered from insomnia and lost weight rapidly. When he returned to Gia Lai, I checked and saw that Kiên had lost up to 8kg, the situation was truly complicated at that time."

He added: "He told me he would put the sadness behind and is ready to dedicate himself fully to HAGL. Trung Kiên is one of the most important players for HAGL. Not just this match, but throughout this season, he has played excellently and deserves all the trust."

At the tournament held in Saudi Arabia last January, Trung Kiên delivered outstanding performances in all the matches he participated in. The 23-year-old played 5 matches and conceded 6 goals, which is a decent record considering the strong teams in the region.

Nevertheless, the 0-3 loss to China U23 in the semifinal somewhat affected the morale of the whole team as well as Trung Kiên personally. The HAGL star was rested in the third-place playoff, where goalkeeper Cao Văn Bình shone throughout 120 minutes and the penalty shootout.

After returning from the tournament, Trung Kiên quickly reaffirmed his key role by keeping a clean sheet in the victory over SHB Đà Nẵng in the 12th round of the V-League. Afterwards, the 2003-born goalkeeper maintained consistent form by conceding only one goal to title contender Ninh Bình FC, greatly contributing to HAGL’s 2–1 overall win.

This result helped the Mountain Town team climb to 8th place in the standings. Conversely, Ninh Bình FC put themselves at a disadvantage in the title race, currently two points behind leaders CAHN despite having played two more matches than their rivals.