At 22:00 (CEST) on January 26, Vietnam will face longtime rival Thailand at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi for the second leg of the 2026 AFF Championship final. Vietnam won the first leg 2-0 in Bangkok on January 22. As long as they do not lose by two goals or more, they will lift the trophy.

As defending champions, Vietnam are chasing their first back-to-back title in history. Even under Park Hang-seo's management, this was never achieved. Kim Sang-sik, who has led the team to an unbeaten record over 25 international matches, is now fighting to secure the team's first consecutive championship.

At a pre-match press conference on January 25, Kim Sang-sik said: "Only one match remains. Our players have been preparing for tomorrow's match for more than two months. Tomorrow will be a match that will go down in Vietnamese football history, and I believe our players will be the protagonists. I will do my best to play an attractive game and bring joy and wonderful memories to Vietnamese fans." He then appealed: "I hope everyone will fill My Dinh stadium and give our players more encouragement and support."

He also sent a message to Korean fans: "I know Korean fans also care deeply and support Vietnamese football through SPOTV. Everyone will watch tomorrow's match, and we need to impress Korean fans with beautiful, attractive, and winning football. Kim Bac, who is beside me, has also performed very well, and I believe he will grow into a world-class player in the future. I ask for everyone's support for him."

After winning the difficult away leg, Vietnam are one step closer to the trophy, but Kim Sang-sik is not relaxing. He said: "In the first leg, we won a difficult away match. Although the situation is favorable, we have nothing in our hands yet and have not achieved anything." He then stood up and emphasized: "We also have nothing in our pockets. To achieve our goals and the trophy we want tomorrow, we must not slack off and fight with all our strength to win."

Vietnamese reporters then continued to ask questions, and the topic of dancing was also brought up. Kim Sang-sik said: "If the players want to and the fans want to see it, I am happy to dance. If Kim Bac scores tomorrow, we will celebrate together."

Finally, he said: "Our players have sacrificed their holidays and left their families for the past two months, only focusing on preparing for this final for the team. I believe that in the final, it is not just about the coach's commands and motivation, but the players themselves must also be mentally ready. Tomorrow is our last important match, but we will prepare calmly as we always do."

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