On the evening of October 4th, the Vietnamese national team held its final training session in preparation for their clash with the Malaysian national team in the third-place match of the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 .
Overcome difficulties to win.
Prior to this encounter, the Vietnamese team was facing some personnel issues, with players like Hoang Hen and Tai Loc experiencing fitness problems, while Viet Anh also suffered a muscle injury.
"The team is missing several players like Hoang Hen, Tai Loc, and Viet Anh due to injuries," said Kim Sang-sik. "During the preparation for the match against Malaysia , with a limited number of players, planning for a second-half comeback will be somewhat challenging."
Regarding Bui Hoang Viet Anh, coach Kim Sang-sik said that the central defender still has a chance to play against Malaysia. "Viet Anh has a slight muscle injury, but there's still a high chance he can play in tomorrow's match. We, along with the medical team, will check Viet Anh's health and then come up with a plan for the game," coach Kim Sang-sik shared.
Regarding the condition of Tài Lộc and Hoàng Hên, Coach Kim stated that the continuous competition over the past period has caused the players to accumulate injury and fitness issues, thereby affecting the team's performance in this tournament.
“Tai Loc suffered a minor injury before the Asian Cup. After joining the national team, the time was quite short, so his physical recovery was a bit challenging,” the South Korean coach said. “As for Hoang Hen, due to the high frequency of matches recently, he hasn't been able to perform at 100% when joining the national team training camp.”
Besides personnel issues, Kim Sang-sik expressed regret that the Vietnamese team did not reach the final, but affirmed that the entire team will still dedicate their utmost focus and effort to the third-place match.
"For me, as well as the players, fans, and everyone else, the fact that we haven't reached the final is quite disappointing," said Kim Sang-sik.
"In every match, the players give their all for victory, so tomorrow, even though it's the third-place match, we will try our best to achieve the best possible result."
Assessing the Malaysian team, coach Kim Sang-sik stated that the team has undergone many changes and possesses a stronger squad compared to previous tournaments.
"Malaysia now has a much better, much stronger squad. Especially this time we have player number 9, a newly naturalized player. Therefore, the team must try even harder to prepare well to stop that player tomorrow," said coach Kim Sang-sik.
Malaysia is determined to break the jinx.
Not long after their defeat at the 2026 ASEAN Cup , the Malaysian national team will have another opportunity to meet the Vietnamese national team in the third-place match of the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup.
This is seen as an opportunity for coach Tan Cheng Hoe and his team to break the jinx of not being able to defeat the "Golden Star Warriors" after more than 11 years.
According to statistics, the last time the Malaysian national team defeated the Vietnamese national team was in the semi-finals of the 2014 AFF Cup, with a surprising 4-2 victory at My Dinh Stadium.
Speaking ahead of the match against Vietnam, coach Tan Cheng Hoe affirmed that Malaysia respects the Vietnamese team, but will enter the match determined to win after their positive performances at the FIFA ASEAN Cup.
"We know Vietnam is coming to the tournament with a strong squad. They are one of the strongest teams in Southeast Asia," said Tan Cheng Hoe. "Of course, tomorrow is a different tournament, a completely different match. Hopefully, we have prepared well. The whole team is in good spirits, with a good atmosphere and good morale to face the Vietnamese team."
According to the schedule, the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 third-place match between Vietnam and Malaysia will take place at 4 PM on October 5th at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia .
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/hlv-kim-sang-sik-cang-kho-khan-tuyen-viet-nam-cang-quyet-tam-chien-thang-post1140014.vnp
