Coach Kim Sang Sik: 'It's unfortunate that Tiến Linh didn't score a goal'

Coach Kim Sang Sik spoke at the press conference following the tight 1-0 win against Nepal in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying match.

"Today, the weather conditions were poor. The bad pitch prevented us from executing our planned style of play. I’m quite disappointed that the Vietnam team couldn’t score more goals, but I’m still very happy that the whole team secured the win. I also want to express my gratitude to the fans,"Coach Kim Sang Sik began the press conference after the 1-0 victory over Nepal.

"Today, players like Hiểu Minh, Thanh Nhàn, and Trung Kiên were given playing time. This is not a reward, but a result of their training efforts. They have competed positively with other players. Through this competition, the overall team quality will improve.

Today, Hiểu Minh performed well, and I also want to praise Trung Kiên. In the second half, Văn Khang and Đình Bắc came on and also played well," Coach Kim Sang Sik praised the young players in this match.

Meanwhile, the Korean coach also expressed regret that Tiến Linh was unable to score: "We haven’t had much discussion with Tiến Linh yet. In today’s match, the whole team had many good shooting opportunities but no goals, with the biggest regret being Tiến Linh. He has a natural goal-scoring instinct, good positioning, and finishing skills. Hopefully, he will score in the match against Laos next month."

Explaining why there was only one goal despite many dangerous chances, the Korean coach said: "Playing at home gave Vietnam some advantage over Nepal. In reality, we had many chances to score but didn’t capitalize well; the players were a bit rushed in their final touches. In the second half, some players got tired, so we didn’t achieve what we wanted."

Adding about the tactics, Coach Kim Sang Sik analyzed: "Before the match, we trained the players on finishing drills to help them perform well in the opponent’s final third and make the most of chances. Unfortunately, the poor pitch affected the team’s style of play somewhat. Overall, the players need to improve their finishing. In the next training camp, we will work hard to improve this.

Currently, Tiến Anh is doing well as the right-back. I know there are still weaknesses in that position and we are considering using U23 players. Soon, the coaching staff will actively watch V-League matches to find more options for the right-back spot," he evaluated.

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