Vietnam vs Laos: Waiting for a convincing victory

Vietnam team practices in preparation for the match against Laos - Photo: NK

This will help the Vietnamese team be more confident in competing for the only ticket of Group F to the 2027 Asian Cup finals with main rival Malaysia.

Coach Kim Sang Sik is cautious.

After winning the 2024 ASEAN Cup, the Vietnamese team only had a single friendly match against Cambodia on March 19. Although they won 2-1, coach Kim Sang Sik's team revealed many problems against an opponent considered weaker.

The attack played poorly and could only score thanks to the excellence of Hai Long and Van Vi. The defense was defeated by Cambodia many times.

It is worth mentioning that coach Kim Sang Sik arranged the strongest squad of the Vietnamese team against Cambodia to help his players warm up for the match against Laos. Therefore, the recent unconvincing performance is something that needs to be quickly improved to defeat Laos convincingly in the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup.

Because in the race for a ticket to the final round, winning as big as possible against Laos and Nepal is something that must be taken into account in case of having to compare the secondary index with Malaysia.

Not only did he learn from his players by reviewing the videos, Coach Kim Sang Sik also tried to perfect the playing style for the Vietnamese team in the recent training sessions. He even carefully let the whole team practice in private in two training sessions on March 23 and 24 to prepare for the match with Laos, instead of just one private training session as usual.

Perhaps the hard-fought victory over Cambodia forced coach Kim Sang Sik to be more cautious when entering the match with Laos, although in the previous 14 meetings, the Laos team lost 13 matches and drew 1 match. The most recent was a 1-4 defeat at home to the Vietnam team in the group stage of the 2024 ASEAN Cup.

The Vietnamese team needs to perform well to get 3 points against Laos - Photo: QUANG THINH

Vietnam team has a more complete version?

Before coming to Vietnam, the Lao team had a friendly match with Sri Lanka at home to test the squad. Despite losing 1-2 to Sri Lanka - the opponent ranked 200th in the world, coach Ha Hyeok Jun still expressed satisfaction at having the opportunity to test the abilities of the new players.

Among them, the three French players of Lao origin, right-back Victor, midfielder Roman and striker Theo Klein, were chosen by Mr. Ha to start in their first appearance for the national team.

The defeat against Sri Lanka shows that the Laos team is not too worrying compared to the 2024 ASEAN Cup version, despite having 3 new players playing in Europe and the US. However, if the Vietnamese team does not improve their performance, defeating Laos will not be easy.

The first half stalemate against Laos in the group stage of the 2024 ASEAN Cup is a hot example for coach Kim Sang Sik's team. In addition, coach Ha Hyeok Jun showed that he had prepared very carefully for this rematch. Specifically, Mr. Ha went to Binh Duong since February to watch Vietnamese players such as Tien Linh, Bui Vi Hao, and Vo Hoang Minh Khoa compete in the 2024 - 2025 V-League.

In fact, the Lao team also had some notable changes in this encounter. Especially in the midfield with the presence of rookie Roman Angot - a player who scored 4 goals and 2 assists in 19 appearances, helping SV Linx Club to second place in the German 6th Division.

Standing at 1m84 tall and strong in competition, Roman Angot promises to be a good support for Lao midfielder of Vietnamese origin Damoth Thongkhamsavath. "Although we are considered the underdog, we will fight with all our might and look for opportunities to cause surprises," Damoth shared.

Therefore, choosing who to pair up as a central midfielder between Doan Ngoc Tan, Hoang Duc and Quang Hai is something coach Kim Sang Sik must consider. Not to mention a new face that Mr. Kim can also bring a surprise to Laos, rookie Minh Khoa.

In the 2024 ASEAN Cup, Mr. Kim had to bring in Quang Hai to replace Doan Ngoc Tan and Hoang Duc from the 60th minute after the duo Doan Ngoc Tan - Hoang Duc were almost "turned off" against Laos. If the midfield plays well, it will not be difficult for the Vietnamese team to defeat Laos once again.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/viet-nam-dau-lao-cho-tran-thang-thuyet-phuc-20250325104508978.htm