Kim Sang-sik, the Vietnam U23 national team, has made it to the semifinals of the ASEAN Championship for three consecutive years

Jul 23, 2025

Kim Sang-sik, the Vietnam U23 national team, has made it to the semifinals of the ASEAN Championship for three consecutive years
Photo capture=Vietnam Football Association website



Kim Sang-sik, the Vietnam U23 national team, has made it to the semifinals of the ASEAN Championship for three consecutive years
photo courtesy of DJ Management
'Kim Sang-sik Magic' continues.

Vietnam's U-23 national team, led by head coach Kim Sang-sik, won 2-1 in the final Group B match of the 2025 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) U-23 Championship against Cambodia in Jakarta, Indonesia on the 22nd (Korea time). Kim Sang-sik, who had a 3-0 complete victory against Laos by head coach Ha Hyuk-joon on the 19th, confirmed his advance to the semifinals with the victory.

Vietnam (6, goal difference +4), which won two games, beat Cambodia (1 draw and 1 loss, goal difference-1) and Laos (1 draw and 1 loss, goal difference-3), ranking first in Group B.




Vietnam, which took the lead from the beginning of the first half, scored the first goal in the 35th minute of the first half with a header from a corner kick. However, he allowed a tie in the 17th minute of the second half with an unexpected loss. Kim Sang-sik's magic shone. Nguyen Dean Park, who was replaced in the 38th minute of the second half, scored the winning goal and won a valuable victory.

Kim Sang-sik, the Vietnam U23 national team, has made it to the semifinals of the ASEAN Championship for three consecutive years
Photo capture=Vietnam Football Association website
Coach Kim said after the game, `This is the result of the players fighting until the end without losing their concentration. I am very happy to be at the top of the group and advance to the semifinals. "I will prepare to show the potential and potential of Vietnamese soccer in the rest of the game."," he said.

Coach Kim has been showing off his outstanding leadership throughout this tournament. Local media praised Kim, saying, `He is a person who has added creativity and competitiveness to Vietnamese soccer based on organizational power.'




On the 25th, Vietnam will play the Philippines, which finished second in Group A, in the semifinals. Vietnam is trying to win for the third time in a row until this tournament, following 2022 and 2023. Vietnam is the most winning country in the tournament.

Coach Kim will challenge the path that even coach Park Hang-seo, who was the myth of Vietnamese soccer, has never been to. Coach Kim created a syndrome by winning the Mitsubishi Electric Cup (Mitsubishi Cup) at the Southeast Asian Football Championship in 2024. It was also an unbeaten win. He won seven games and drew one in eight games. In the final, he won all of the games against Thailand, losing in objective power.

Coach Kim is also showing an amazing performance even after leading the U-23 national team. In particular, the AFF U-23 Championship is a competition that coach Park has never won. If he wins this tournament, Kim's position will be even thicker.




Kim Sang-sik, the Vietnam U23 national team, has made it to the semifinals of the ASEAN Championship for three consecutive years
Photo capture=Vietnam Football Association website
Coach Kim was determined ahead of the semifinals against the Philippines. He finished with two wins in the group league. This is thanks to the support of the players and fans,' he said, adding that he will face the Philippines in the semifinals. The whole team will prepare well for the victory. We are confident ahead of the semi-finals. The Philippines can be relatively easier than the host country Indonesia because it is an away team." Then "The Philippines is a strong team with a balance. We analyzed this team. The whole team will try." .

Ten teams from Southeast Asian countries will participate in this tournament, divided into three groups (4 teams from Group A, 3 teams from Group B, and 3 teams from Group C), and then the championship will be decided through the tournament. If Vietnam wins the semifinals, it will face the winner of the Indonesia-Thailand match in the final.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.