The Vietnamese team left early in the morning for Malaysia, ready for the 'final' of group F.

On the morning of June 6, the Vietnamese team under the leadership of coach Kim Sang-sik officially left for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to prepare for the important match against the host team in the second round of Group F of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. This match is considered an "early final" in the race for a ticket to the next round in the group.

The team has spent nearly a week training in Hanoi since May 30. Although some players from the Hanoi Police and Binh Duong clubs joined the team late, affecting the initial preparations, the whole team quickly got back into the rhythm and maintained a very good training spirit. Coach Kim highly appreciated the professional attitude of his students during this period.

When asked about Vietnam’s impressive record against Malaysia over the past decade, coach Kim Sang-sik said it was the result of careful preparation and confident fighting spirit of generations of Vietnamese players. He hopes the current team will continue to maintain their confidence and bravery in the upcoming match.

However, the Korean strategist also acknowledged the current difficulties when the squad lacks some key players due to injury. Meanwhile, the Malaysian team has added a strong force with about 8 to 10 new naturalized players, making the analysis of the opponent more complicated. However, the coaching staff is still closely monitoring and building appropriate plans to achieve the best results.

In terms of personnel, the absence of striker Cong Phuong due to injury is a regrettable loss. To strengthen the squad, coach Kim has called up two promising young players from the U22 team, Ly Duc and Quoc Viet. In addition, rookie Cao Pendant Quang Vinh is also highly appreciated for his ability to adapt quickly and play well in many different positions, from left center back, full back to winger, bringing tactical flexibility to the team.

Before the match, captain Do Duy Manh shared that the whole team is determined to achieve the best results at Bukit Jalil Stadium. He emphasized that this will be a big challenge, but the team will promote collective strength and adhere to tactics to achieve the set goal. Midfielder Nguyen Hoang Duc also affirmed that the match against Malaysia is the most important match for the Vietnamese team in 2025, and he and his teammates will try their best to have a worthy performance.

After the first round of matches, both Vietnam and Malaysia have 3 points. However, coach Kim Sang-sik's team is temporarily leading Group F thanks to a better goal difference. The Vietnamese team will have four days of preparation in Malaysia before entering the official match, taking place at 8:00 p.m. (Vietnam time) on June 10 at Bukit Jalil Stadium, Kuala Lumpur.