Football 

PHÚ THỌ — Coach Kim Sang-sik praised his players after Việt Nam beat Indonesia 1-0 to top Group B of the ASEAN Cup 2024 on Sunday in Phú Thọ Province.

It was Việt Nam's first win over their arch-rival in 2024, after three straight defeats in the early months across different competitions.

Captain Nguyễn Quang Hải scored the winner for the host side in the 77th minute.

Speaking to reporters after the match, Kim confirmed that despite many difficulties Vietnamese players gave it their best and took an important win.

“We did not have good result in previous games against Indonesia. But today I am happy because we won and no one got hurt," said Kim.

"Indonesia played defensively in this match and their playing style created many challenges for us. But my players made some great efforts and we earned that prestigious goal," said Kim, who voted his skipper Hải the man of the match.

The game against Indonesia was considered crucial for Việt Nam, with the winners taking number one slot in the group.

The South Korean manager revealed that his coaching board had put in a lot of work, preparing his players well ahead of the match, taking a lot of time to talk over who to play in some key positions, including goalkeeper Nguyễn Filip.

"This match was very important for the whole team. Everyone was concerned about it but we prepared well. When it rained, I reminded Filip to be focused and make a decisive decision. I hoped and was confident for a victory and we did it," Kim said.

“My players really wanted to score more goals, which is also the wish of all supporters and me, but it wasn't easy. Anyway we have the three points.”

Midfielder Hải also took part in the post-match conference. He said: “Although we met with many challenges from Indonesia, we played with high determination. The win will push our spirit for the next matches."

Asked about his goal for Việt Nam, Hải said scoring for the national team was always special. 

"Personally, I feel like I owe my fans a lot after over a year of poor performance. The win today gives me and my teammates strong motivation. Today, Việt Trì Stadium is like a festival. We will try to make every Việt Nam game a festival for our supporters.”

In the Indonesian side, coach Shin Tae-yong congratulated Việt Nam for the win and said his team's loss was due to the lack of experience of younger players.

"There is a gap of experience and level between Việt Nam and Indonesia, which is made up of young players. My players have done everything to improve their mentality and physique for the tournament but cannot bridge the gap. We have learned good lessons from this match," said Shin.

He admitted that the team needed more time to sharpen their technique but said his young side would secure a place in the semi-finals.

Shin also blamed the tournament's uncomfortable competition format of home and away grounds for causing additional trouble to all teams, with Indonesia suffering the most because they were not able to find direct flights to competition venues.

"On average, each move takes us more than ten hours to travel. For example, to Myanmar, it took us 16 hours. I'm myself a bit tired so I can't imagine how tired the players are," Shin said.

"Moving like this is very unreasonable and should be changed. I still maintain my opinion that the group stage should be played in a centralised venue. The home-and-away format should be applied in the knockout round."

Việt Nam will play the Philippines next tomorrow in Manila, while Indonesia will rest until their third game on Saturday also against the Philippines on home soil. VNS