Kim Sang-sik, head coach of Vietnam's national football team, extended his unbeaten run to 21 A-match games in a row thanks to a welcome "black shirt jinx."
Vietnam, led by Kim, defeated Indonesia 3-0 in their away match on the 3rd in the third round of Group A in the group stage of the 2026 ASEAN Championship (Hyundai Cup), held at Pakansari Stadium in Indonesia. With this result, Vietnam recorded 7 points and moved up to first place in the group.
Kim mentioned his black shirt jinx at the official press conference after the match. In the first round against Timor-Leste, in which the team won big (7-0), he wore a black shirt, but in the second round against Singapore (0-0 draw) he wore a white shirt. After winning convincingly in a black shirt again on this day, he said, "There was talk among the fans that white clothes don't bring luck," adding, "I should throw away all the white clothes in my closet and tell my wife not to buy any more white clothes."
In fact, Kim has continued this jinx by wearing black polo shirts and achieving good results in major tournaments, including winning the 2024 ASEAN Cup and the 2025 Southeast Asian U-23 Championship. While talking about the jinx, Kim credited the players for the victory.
"It was difficult because it was an away match, but the players gave their best according to the plan," Kim said. "Even in a situation where position changes were unavoidable due to physical fatigue, the players responded flexibly, and exploiting the opponent's weaknesses was decisive." He then stressed, "This victory has brightened the team's mood even more, but we still have remaining matches and goals to achieve."
Vietnam, now at the top of the group, will play their final group stage match against Cambodia on the 7th.
