Just a few hours after the Vietnam National Football Team returned from Thailand with the ASEAN Cup 2024 championship trophy, the Sports Department of Vietnam Television organized a live broadcast of the program Welcome the Champions. During the program, head coach Kim Sang Sik and the players shared their experiences from the tournament, as well as behind-the-scenes stories from each match.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Lam, General Director of VTV, presents flowers to congratulate the Vietnam National Football Team. Team manager Tran Anh Tu, coach Kim Sang Sik, and several players from the national team attend the program.
The program is broadcast live from VTV's studio on the evening of January 6, 2025.
Vietnam's national soccer team enjoys lighthearted moments during the program.
"I want to be a strict coach in the eyes of my players", coach Kim Sang Sik says humorously at the beginning of the program. "I always demand discipline and continuous improvement. Every training session is an opportunity for them to grow. Only through rigor can a team develop in a sustainable way."
But for the players, Coach Kim is not intimidating at all. On the contrary, when "accused" by Hoang Duc, Tien Linh even admitted that he was the one who teased the coach the most.
"The second leg of the final on January 5 was my first time in the starting lineup. I was very determined! I always gave my best in training so that when the coach gave me the chance to play, I could do everything possible to help my team win", striker Pham Tuan Hai says during the program.
Coach Kim comments on Tuan Hai: "Over time, I tried to employ appropriate tactics for each match, which meant that I didn't send Tuan Hai out on the field very often. I felt a little guilty about this. However, even when he wasn't part of the main training sessions, he practiced individually and prepared for each match. I knew he was always ready, so I gave him a chance in the final because I believed he could make an impact".
Hai Long, who scored the first and last goals for Vietnam in the tournament, says: "It was my destiny in this competition".
"When I get the opportunity to play for the national team, I always think about learning. Whenever the team needs me, I'm always ready", says goalkeeper Dinh Trieu, who started in six matches during the tournament.
Xuan Manh is one of the key defenders in coach Kim Sang Sik's three-center-back formation.
Commenting on his affectionate cheek kisses for his teammates, Captain Duy Manh says: "It comes from the heart, a gesture of gratitude for my amazing teammates who gave it their all. These moments, whether now or in the future, will be fond memories".
Tien Linh, along with host Thanh Phong, re-enacts his celebration with Xuan Son during the second leg of the semifinal against Singapore. Tien Linh explained that it was a spontaneous moment that was not planned in advance. Speaking about Xuan Son, Tien Linh added, "We were all happy to have Son in the team since we've known him for a long time from the V-League. During training and team activities, we always talked and joked with Son to help him integrate better".
The viral celebration moment. (Photo: FB Do Duy Manh)
As for the controversial goal scored by Thailand, Duy Manh says that the whole team was upset. However, from the referee's perspective, the goal was legitimate. The referee advised Duy Manh to negotiate with the Thai captain. "I asked him why they were playing like that and pointed at Supachock, saying: You play in Japan and yet you have no fair play? I’m disappointed. But their team replied that they couldn’t tell whether our players were really injured or faking it".
Thanh Chung reveals that from the match on January 5 to the Welcome the Champions program, the players only slept 1-2 hours.
The program concluded with heartfelt reflections from the players on the joy of the Vietnamese fans celebrating the victory. The players also re-enacted the lifting of the 2024 ASEAN Cup trophy as the song Viet Nam Oi played proudly in the background.
