'First-ever' aiming for back-to-back titles, 'Vietnamese Hero' Coach Kim Sang-sik: "It will be difficult... but I am confident"

*This content was translated by AI.

In the final match to determine Southeast Asia's football supremacy, Vietnam national team coach Kim Sang-sik faced his archrival Thailand and expressed strong confidence in securing a victory in the first leg of the away game and achieving the first back-to-back title in the tournament's history.

According to a report by Vietnamese media 'Tuoi Tre' on the 22nd (Korea time), Coach Kim Sang-sik issued his challenge statement at the official pre-match press conference for the first leg of the 2026 ASEAN Football Federation (ASEAN) Championship final in Bangkok, Thailand: "I am very happy that Vietnam has reached the final. This final is another opportunity for us to write new history, and we do not want to miss it."

Vietnam will play the first leg of the final away match against Thailand at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok on the 22nd at 10 p.m., then move to My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi, Vietnam, for the decisive second leg on the 26th at 10 p.m.

Established in 1996 and held every two years, the ASEAN Championship saw Vietnam claim its first title in 2008 and its second under coach Park Hang-seo in 2018. Following Kim Sang-sik's appointment in 2024, Vietnam lifted the trophy for the third time overall and is now challenging to achieve the unprecedented feat of back-to-back titles in this tournament.

Coach Kim Sang-sik emphasized, "It will be a difficult match, but I have good memories and confidence from having lifted the trophy at the same venue before. To make history with back-to-back tournament wins, winning the first leg away in Thailand is absolutely necessary. The players must display the fighting spirit they showed throughout the tournament and deliver their best performance."

Regarding the attacking lineup, he added, "Xuan Son and Do Hoang Yen are in excellent physical condition. We expect them to score." He continued, "Xuan Son already has championship experience, while players like Thai Loc and Patrick Le have joined the national team for the first time this year. I want to see the players proudly wearing the Vietnamese flag on their chests and lifting the championship trophy together."

Midfielder Do Hoang Yen, who attended the press conference alongside the coach, also stated, "We prepared very thoroughly ahead of the tournament, including a training camp in Korea. After showing outstanding performance in the first leg, we will complete our goal of winning with the support of fans at home in Hanoi."

Defending champion Vietnam advanced to the final with an undefeated run, thanks to a stingy defense that conceded only one goal throughout the group stage and semi-finals, coupled with overwhelming match performance. In the semi-finals, they decisively defeated Malaysia 4-0 on aggregate across two legs. Meanwhile, Thailand won all their group stage matches without conceding a goal but narrowly advanced to the final after a tough contest against Singapore in the semi-finals, winning 4-3 on aggregate.

The two teams have met three times in previous ASEAN Championship finals, with Vietnam securing the title twice and holding the upper hand in head-to-head records.

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*This content was translated by AI.