Vietnam coach Kim Sang-sik has called on his players to carry the positive performance from their 7-0 win over Timor-Leste into their next ASEAN Hyundai Cup™ 2026 Group A match against Singapore after the champions made a positive start to the defence of their title.
Công An Hà Nội FC forward Nguyễn Đình Bắc scored a hat-trick and Đỗ Hoàng Hên netted twice for the Golden Star Warriors in a one-sided clash in Chonburi against the qualifying round play-off winners.
“The team prepared very well for today’s match, and every player gave 100 per cent in their performance,” said Kim, who is attempting to become the first coach to lead three-times winners Vietnam to back-to-back titles.
“Our movement was very good, and every player competed with confidence. I want us to carry the confidence we showed today into our next match against Singapore and produce another positive performance.”
The Vietnamese will face Singapore in Hanoi next Friday with Đình Bắc in a confident mood after the first treble of his international career and his goal-scoring feat prompted the 21-year-old to perform an elaborate celebratory dance to the delight of the visiting fans.
“I am very happy to have scored a hat-trick,” said Đình Bắc. “My celebration was inspired by several Brazilian players whom I admire. They are my idols, and I have studied their celebrations.”
The loss was a chastening experience for Timor-Leste but coach José Pedro was hopeful that his young side would learn from the defeat.
“We made some mistakes that cost us, but the result was also a reflection of Vietnam’s very strong performance,” he said. “They effectively decided the match early in the first half.
“As I have mentioned, we have a young team that needs to develop, improve and grow. We need to experience matches like this to continue progressing.
“We will learn from the mistakes we made and work to ensure that we do not repeat them in the near future. It was a very difficult match.”
Pedro’s team has a short turnaround before their next Group A match against Singapore on Monday but he remained confident his players would be ready for the clash at Jalan Besar Stadium.
“I will try to prepare the players in the best way possible, but our main focus now is to forget about this match,” he said. “It is in the past, and we have to turn our attention to Singapore.
“The most important consideration is how the players recover within such a short period. I will do my best to manage the team and select the best starting eleven for the upcoming match.”
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