SEA Games 33: The secret behind U22 Vietnam’s comeback against Thailand

To achieve this feat, center-back Ly Duc shared: “First, I want to thank the Vietnamese fans who came here to support the team. Although U22 Vietnam was trailing, during halftime, the whole team encouraged each other and Coach Kim Sang Sik said we could accomplish anything. We looked up at the stands and gave our all for the fans, for Vietnam. Therefore, I believe we deserved today’s victory.”

The number 3 center-back also added that he and his teammates still have much to improve as the team aims for success in the U23 Asian Championship. Meanwhile, forward Van Thuan, who was substituted in by Coach Kim Sang Sik at the start of the second half and immediately made an impact by contributing to both equalizing goals, said: “I’m very happy and proud of this win. Honestly, I also wanted to score and help the team, but that wasn’t the main point. What matters most is that we earned this precious gold medal.”

The unity, confidence, and full effort of U22 Vietnam were rewarded with the gold medal, just as they had stated before the match: if the senior Vietnam national team could defeat Thailand at Rajamangala, the U22 players could do the same.

“I’m very happy and proud to win my first SEA Games gold medal in my career. Although the match was challenging, we motivated each other and believed we could turn the game around. This is the result of our hard work and training over time,” said captain Khuat Van Khang.

Coach Kim Sang Sik could not hide his joy after winning the SEA Games 33 gold medal, following Vietnam’s championship at the 2025 ASEAN Cup: “I feel extremely happy and touched to experience winning a gold medal at SEA Games for the first time. It’s a truly special experience for me personally. I’m very glad and proud that earlier this year, the Vietnam national team won the championship, and now U22 Vietnam has also claimed the title. This has been a truly fulfilling year. Even though U22 Vietnam was down 0-2, my players showed extraordinary effort and never gave up. It was their relentless fighting spirit until the last moments that helped us achieve this proud victory.”