Kim Sang-sik's 'God's Move' Even Includes a Vietnamese Money Mat... On the Verge of First-Ever Back-to-Back Titles → If They Win, He Will Receive Over 800 Million Won

*This content was translated by AI.

Coach Kim Sang-sik, who is leading another golden age for Vietnamese football, has received high praise in Vietnam for his 'God's Move.'

Under Coach Kim Sang-sik, the Vietnam national team secured a decisive 2-0 away victory against Thailand in the first leg of the 2026 ASEAN Hyundai Cup final at Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on the 22nd (Korea time).

Vietnam and Thailand will play the second leg of the final at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi on the 26th. With a two-goal lead, Vietnam returns home to prepare for the next match under more favorable conditions. Even if they lose by one goal in the second leg, they will still win the title based on aggregate score.

In the first leg, Coach Kim's tactical move shone brightly. Vietnam finished the first half 0-0. As they struggled to break through Thailand's defense, Coach Kim boldly made two substitutions simultaneously in the 13th minute of the second half, bringing on Nguyen Hai Long and Nguyen Quang Hai at the same time to decide the match.

The result was a perfect hit. Just four minutes after being substituted in, Hai Long scored the opening goal in the 17th minute of the second half. Then, in the 24th minute of the second half, Quang Hai added another goal. The two players simultaneously brought on by Coach Kim both found the back of the net, securing an away victory against Thailand.

Local Vietnamese media also praised Coach Kim's judgment. Tan Dien reported on the 23rd: "Coach Kim Sang-sik's tactical skills were incredibly precise," adding that "the decision to substitute two players simultaneously in the 13th minute of the second half became the decisive move of the match."

It further explained, "What made the biggest difference in the second half was Coach Kim's sharp ability to read the flow of the game and his appropriate use of players."

The outlet continued, "The decision to bring on two players simultaneously completely disrupted Thailand's defense organization, which was losing stamina," and highly evaluated it as "a scene that showcased Coach Kim's outstanding tactical vision by playing the right card at the crucial moment."

The media also noted that Coach Kim's substitution strategy was successful in the second leg of the semi-finals against Malaysia.

Under Coach Kim's leadership, Vietnam has been achieving meaningful records throughout this tournament.

First, Coach Kim has become the first coach in Vietnamese national team history to lead the squad to back-to-back ASEAN Cup finals. In the 2024 tournament, he also guided Vietnam to the final, where they defeated Thailand and claimed the title. With another final appearance two years later, defending the title is now within reach. If Vietnam wins again this time, it will achieve a historic back-to-back ASEAN Cup championship.

Former coach Park Hang-seo led the team for over five years and brought them to the ASEAN Cup final twice, but not in consecutive tournaments. Under Coach Park's regime, Vietnam won the title in 2018, but in the 2020 tournament, they were stopped by Thailand in the semi-finals. In 2022, they reached the final again but lost 2-3 on aggregate to Thailand, settling for runner-up status.

The upward trend under Coach Kim is not limited to the ASEAN Cup. Including the away victory against Thailand, Vietnam has gone unbeaten in their last 25 A-match games, recording 22 wins and 3 draws.

As results have improved, the size of rewards has grown like a snowball. According to Tan Dien, before playing the first leg of the final, the Vietnam national team received a total of 53 billion dong in bonuses from the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF). They received 23 billion dong from the group stage and 30 billion dong from the semi-finals. With an additional 5 billion dong paid by sponsors, the bonus amount increased to 58 billion dong.

After winning the first leg of the away final against Thailand 2-0, VFF awarded another 25 billion dong in bonuses. As a result, the total bonuses secured by the Vietnam national team so far amount to 83 billion dong (approximately 440 million won).

If they win the championship, the rewards will be even larger. The ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) awards approximately 78 billion dong (about 440 million won) to the tournament winner. The runner-up prize is approximately 26 billion dong (about 13.8 million won).

In other words, if Vietnam wins the championship, they can receive a massive sum equivalent to 161 billion dong (approximately 850 million won). Both Coach Kim Sang-sik's leadership and the Vietnam national team's performance will be properly rewarded.

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*This content was translated by AI.