Vietnam team wins first friendly match in Korea

On the morning of November 27, at the Smart AirDome Gyeong Ju (Korea), the first practice match of the training camp in Korea took place. Before entering this match,Head coach Kim Sang-sikreceived good news when having 100% of the force in hand for the test against the "blue team" Ulsan Citizen FC.

With a full squad, head coach Kim Sang Sik spent most of the training session testing out additional personnel solutions in the lineup, while continuing to strengthen both attack and defense.

Although the match with Ulsan Citizen FC was only a "warm-up" for the players before entering two real tests against Daegu FC and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC, coach Kim Sang-sik still showed meticulousness and thoughtfulness in preparation.

Entering the match, the Vietnamese team used a number of substitute players with the intention of experimenting. Doan Ngoc Tan - a new player of the Vietnamese team started. Due to using a formation with many reserve players, the Vietnamese team could not create continuity in the first part of the match, coach Kim Sang Sik continued to use the 3-center-back formation (3-5-2).

In the opening minutes of the match, Ulsan Citizen FC had a situation where they were trying to attack the Vietnamese team. The team playing in K-League 3 took advantage of their physical advantage to play long balls. But this is also what coach Kim Sang Sik wants his players to deal with. Previously, in matches against India and Russia, the Vietnamese defense often struggled to handle high balls that were poured behind the defense.

After getting into the rhythm of the match, the Vietnamese team had more notable opportunities. The attack line led by striker Nguyen Tien Linh continuously made attacks in the last 5 minutes of the match. The speed of the match was pushed up faster.Vietnam teamalso controlled the midfield well. Ulsan Citizen FC players were forced to retreat deeper into their own half under pressure from Vietnam.

In the 45th minute, striker Tien Linh opened the scoring for the match. Receiving the ball from his teammate, the captain of the Vietnamese team kicked very quickly. The ball went dangerously and left no chance for the opponent's goalkeeper, the Vietnamese team led 1-0 before the end of the first half.

In the second half, the Vietnamese team made some changes to their squad for testing purposes. In the first 10 minutes of the second half, with the lead, the Vietnamese team was more confident in controlling the tempo. A few opportunities were created by the Vietnamese players but they were not sharp enough to create more goals.

In the following minutes, the Vietnamese team was still controlling the game well, for most of the second half. Coach Kim Sang Sik changed the formation to 4-3-3, as he usually does in the final stages of the match.

In the 80th minute of the match, Tuan Hai doubled the gap for the Vietnamese team. From a cross from his teammate, Tuan Hai handled the ball skillfully and then kicked it into the Ulsan Citizen net, raising the score to 2-0.

In the final minutes of the match, the Vietnamese team continued to have opportunities, but unfortunately Van Thanh's shot seemed to have entered the goal but only bounced off the edge of the net. In the end, the Vietnamese team won 2-0 against Ulsan Citizen FC.

Coach Kim Sang Sik and his team still have 2 quality "tests", respectively meeting Daegu FC on November 29 and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC on December 1./.