Coach Kim Sang-sik: Meeting Russia is a very difficult challenge for the Vietnamese team

On the afternoon of September 4, coach Kim Sang-sik attended a press conference before the match against the Russian team at the 2024 International Friendly Tournament.

Opening the press conference before the match against Russia, coach Kim Sang-sik said: "I feel very happy and honored that the Vietnamese team continues to have a tournament after the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup 3 months ago."

Regarding the goal of the Vietnamese team, the Korean strategist shared: “Russia is a strong team. The match is very difficult for us, but this is a challenge for the players. No matter how strong the opponent is, the Vietnamese team must overcome fear and move forward to achieve the best results.”
Compared to the two matches against the Philippines and Iraq in June, coach Kim Sang-sik said he might make changes in personnel, specifically giving new faces a chance to join the Vietnamese team in this training session.

“In the two matches in June, most of the players had just finished the V-League and were in good physical condition to play for 90 minutes. But in these two matches against Russia and Thailand, the players have not played much recently and are not sure about their physical condition.

However, the Vietnamese team has prepared well. The players will do their best in the next two matches. In this training session, I will work with 8 new players compared to the previous session, notably the return of Que Ngoc Hai, Phan Van Duc, Hai Long... I can use some new players in the Vietnamese team. I think they will be the future of Vietnamese football," said the Korean coach.

“When I knew that Vietnam was playing Russia, I knew that this would definitely not be an easy match. Russia is ranked 33rd in the world, while Vietnam is 115th, so there is a big difference. I feel the challenge in the upcoming match, but through that I also see the determination of the players. I hope that after the match, Vietnam will gain experience, courage, and improve its level,” coach Kim Sang-sik affirmed.

Commenting on the Russian opponent, Kim Sang-sik said: “I analyzed many recent matches of the Russian team. I was impressed with goalkeeper Safonov. Besides, they have many young players with good attacking ability. I met with the Vietnamese team to analyze the Russian team in more depth.”

Coach Kim Sang-sik revealed that he gave Dang Van Lam a chance in the match against Russia: “Van Lam and Nguyen Filip are both very good and train hard. I know Van Lam grew up in Russia. I gave him a chance in tomorrow's match. I also told Lam about this. Van Lam said this was a dream match, and he thanked me for being given the opportunity to start.”

Meanwhile, center-back Que Ngoc Hai expressed his determination: "I am very excited to meet a strong opponent. The match is very exciting. Playing against the Russian team is a great experience. Through this match, the Vietnamese team has steps to prepare and run for upcoming goals, especially the AFF Cup 2024. With a strong opponent like Russia, the defense must definitely pay a lot of attention. Hopefully this is a match where the Vietnamese team will work hard and bring an excellent performance"./.