A new record co-created by three people including Park Hang-seo... Coach Kim Sang-sik alone broke through to write a new history of "19 consecutive matches without defeat for Vietnam"

*This content was translated by AI.

Coach Kim Sang-sik has written a new chapter in Vietnamese football history, surpassing a grand record previously co-created by three former coaches.

The Vietnam national football team led by Coach Kim Sang-sik secured a decisive 7-0 victory against Timor-Leste in the first match of Group A of the group stage at the "2026 ASEAN Hyundai Cup" held on the 24th in Chonburi, Thailand.

With this result, Vietnam achieved 19 consecutive matches without defeat (17 wins, 2 draws) in official international matches, setting a new all-time record for the longest unbeaten streak in the country's football history. This has been an overwhelming run with no single loss since the friendly match against India on the 7th, 2024, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

Earlier, Coach Kim Sang-sik had already achieved major milestones, including winning the 2024 ASEAN Championship and securing early qualification for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup finals, adding this grand record to his achievements.

The reason why this new record of 19 consecutive matches without defeat is even more special lies beyond mere numbers in its "process." According to Vietnamese media Van Hoa, the previous record of 18 consecutive matches without defeat (from December 2016 to December 2018) was a "collaborative work" created by three coaches—Nguyen Huu Tang, Mai Duc Chung, and Park Hang-seo—who took charge in succession.

In contrast, this 19-match unbeaten run was completed solely under Coach Kim Sang-sik's single leadership. The media also praised him, stating, "Unlike the previous record that involved three coaches, this entire journey was accomplished within Coach Kim Sang-sik's tenure."

Coach Kim Sang-sik is the leader who led the revival of Vietnamese football. Under former coach Park Hang-seo, Vietnam reached the summit of Southeast Asia and enjoyed a golden era. However, under the subsequent leadership of Philippe Troussier, the team struggled and faltered. But after Coach Kim Sang-sik took charge, stability was regained again. The media praised him by declaring a complete "Kim Sang-sik era" for Vietnamese football.

Local media reactions were also enthusiastic. Another local outlet, "Sao Star," highly commended him, stating, "He completely erased the painful memories of the Troussier era. Coach Kim Sang-sik unlocked the peak performance of players that his predecessor could not bring out." This is an evaluation that Coach Kim perfectly severed the period of stagnation experienced after the golden era under Coach Park Hang-seo.

The match content against Timor-Leste on this day was also flawless. Led by Dinh Ba's hat-trick, followed by Hoang Hen's multi-goal performance, along with a goal from Brazilian naturalized attacker Xuan Thong and an own goal by the opponent, they staged a goal feast.

In particular, the 7-0 victory is the largest margin of victory since the launch of Coach Kim's regime (previous record: 5-0) and is also the second-greatest record in the entire history of the ASEAN Championship, following the 9-0 win against Laos in 2007.

With Hyundai Motor becoming the title sponsor for the "AFF Hyundai Cup" to mark its 30th anniversary this year, Vietnam's goal is clear: a historic first back-to-back championship and their fourth overall title.

The AFF Championship is held every two years to determine Southeast Asia's top football powerhouse. It has been widely known among domestic football fans under various names such as Suzuki Cup and Mitsubishi Cup depending on the title sponsor.

The 2026 AFF Hyundai Cup opened on the 24th and will enter a month-long intense competition across Southeast Asia until the 26th of next month.

Vietnam is currently on an unbeaten run of 9 matches (8 wins, 1 draw) in this tournament as well. Their last defeat was a 0-1 loss to Thailand in the second leg of the 2022 AFF Championship final during Coach Park Hang-seo's tenure.

Despite writing a grand record, the coach remained calm and did not lose his composure. Through his agency DJ Management, Coach Kim Sang-sik emphasized, "I am happy to set a record of 19 consecutive matches without defeat, but rather than focusing on the record itself, it is more important for the team to grow match by match."

He further pledged, "The players showed good concentration today. We will thoroughly prepare for the remaining matches and present the best results to our fans."

Having perfectly buttoned up the first step, Coach Kim's squad will face Singapore on the 31st in the second group stage match, challenging a relentless march toward 20 consecutive matches without defeat.

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*This content was translated by AI.