Playing evenly with superior opponents, why is the Vietnamese women's team still so strong?

The memorable friendly match with the German women's team (lost 1-2) was not only a valuable experience, but also showed the maturity of the Vietnamese women's team in all aspects. At Berberer Berg Stadium, Coach Mai Duc Chung's students competed fairly with the team that had won the world championship twice.

The most notable point of the Vietnamese women's team in this match was not Thanh Nha's goal, but the situation that created that goal. The move took place in the 90+2 minute, the ball was cleared from the defense, then young striker Van Su passed the ball for Thanh Nha to run up and score.

Facing one of the strongest candidates for the championship, and in extra time, the Vietnamese women's team still had enough energy to launch a counter-attack that traveled more than half the length of the field, making surprisingly durable runs.

Vietnam women's team plays hard

Before Thanh Nha's goal, the Vietnamese women's team had two other one-on-one situations by Tuyet Dung and Vu Thi Hoa, both coming in the second half. Creating opportunities at the crucial moment when the opponent was exhausted and lost focus, the Vietnamese women's team met the requirements, thanks to their significantly improved physical foundation.

In previous friendly matches against Eintracht Frankfurt Women's Club, Schott Mainz Women's Club or U.23 Poland, the Vietnamese women's team played persistently and tenaciously until the last minutes. Thanks to their good physical strength, the whole team maintained team discipline throughout the match, then gradually arranged methodical attacks as desired.

Talking about the physical fitness of the Vietnamese women's team, the first thing to mention is Mr. Cedric Roger. The French fitness coach has been with the Vietnamese women's football team since June 2021. He has 20 years of experience, having worked in 9 different countries and 3 continental federations. He has a coaching A license issued by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), a master's degree in Physical Fitness and Team Management.

Vietnam women's team progresses rapidly

Under the coaching of Mr. Roger, the physical strength of the Vietnamese women's team has improved rapidly. At the 2022 Asian Cup, the first group of the team to go to India to prepare for the tournament had only 4 players, the rest had Covid-19. However, Mr. Roger still trained his students very well. The following groups of players went to India one after another, but quickly got into the training schedule, and then won tickets to the 2023 World Cup spectacularly with a steep climb of 6 matches in 16 days.

"The coaching staff has a strategy to exploit strengths to overcome weaknesses. I also told the Vietnamese women's players that if the opponent is bigger and stronger, we need to be more agile, focus on technique and be more durable," said Mr. Cedric Roger. Under Mr. Roger, the number of ball-free exercises or hours in the gym for the female players has increased. With a training method based on sports science and in line with coach Mai Duc Chung's training plan, fitness coach Roger is gradually helping the physical strength of the Vietnamese women's team approach a new level.

Vietnam women's team keeps improving

Fitness coach Cedric Roger

During the training trip to Europe, the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) sent fitness and nutrition expert Ellena Turner to Germany to accompany the Vietnamese women's team. Ms. Turner had a talk and discussion with the Vietnamese women's team players about travel, limiting the effects of time difference, nutrition and health issues especially for women. The players were provided with knowledge about adjusting sleep and foods suitable for each activity, competition stage, training and rest.

Expert Doan Minh Xuong analyzed: "If we take the benchmark from last year when the Vietnamese women's team lost 0-7 to France, until this year when they only lost 1-2 to Germany, comparing the scores shows progress. Looking at the game, the players have matured professionally, including the psychological aspect, playing confidently, daring to deploy the ball, resisting the opponent's pressure, both defending firmly and attacking sharply. The whole team's physical strength must be very good to meet this requirement. To aim for the 2023 World Cup, the Vietnamese women's team has had a thorough preparation process. Hopefully, Mr. Chung's students will progress professionally and mentally to prove that they are worthy of participating in the World Cup."

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