Coach Kim Sang Sik confidently stated that Vietnam's national football team can defeat Thailand in the two-leg final of the 2024 ASEAN Cup (AFF Cup) to claim the championship trophy.

"Happy New Year, and thank you all for coming here to support Vietnam’s national team.

Thailand is a formidable mountain, but there is no mountain we cannot conquer.

I hope to guide Vietnam to the summit in the two matches ahead.

We will deliver a great performance tomorrow against Thailand," said Coach Kim Sang Sik.

The coach emphasized that Vietnam's players are in excellent spirits and ready to secure victory against Thailand in the upcoming final matches.

“A Southeast Asian derby”

Coach Kim described the matchup against Thailand as a Southeast Asian derby, acknowledging the challenges while remaining optimistic.

"The match tomorrow will be difficult.

However, we defeated Singapore in both legs of the semifinal, and I hope this foundation will help us achieve a strong performance against Thailand.

I have some experience with finals like this from my time coaching in Korea.

Facing Thailand tomorrow is also special for me as the head coach of Vietnam’s national team.

I aim to bring a New Year’s gift to Vietnamese fans," Kim stressed.

When evaluating the opposition, Kim pointed out an advantage:

"Thai players are exhausted after playing extra time in their semifinal second leg just two days ago and traveling a long distance to get here.

That is good news for us."

"Focus on the present"

Addressing concerns about Vietnamese players' mindset when facing Thailand, Kim confidently stated that things have changed.

"My players are more confident and will have plenty of scoring opportunities.

I want to emphasize that the issue of Vietnamese players feeling mentally weaker against Thailand belongs to the past.

The team now focuses solely on the present.

Vietnamese players are in the best psychological state they've ever been.

I’ve told them that we have only one goal: to be champions.

There is no other result," Kim concluded.

Lam Hoang