The joy of 'father' Chung
In the 90+2 minute at Berberer Berg Stadium (Offenbach, Germany), the Vietnamese women's team won the ball and organized a counterattack. With a pass, Van Su put Thanh Nha in a one-on-one position with the German women's team goalkeeper. Thanh Nha pushed the ball to her left foot, then made a tricky shot to score, reducing the score to 1-2. The goal made the Vietnamese women's team and the coaching staff burst into joy. As for coach Mai Duc Chung, he raised his arms to the sky, his hands clenched.
The 74-year-old coach proudly watched his students celebrate. During his four years of coaching the Vietnamese women's team, spanning nearly 30 years, Mr. Chung "gai" has created many generations, of which Thanh Nha, Thu Thuong, Hai Linh, and Van Su are the newest young talents, preparing to take on the team in the near future.
Coach Mai Duc Chung
In the nearly three decades since 1997, Vietnamese women's football has changed. Many generations of players have come and gone. Kim Hong and Kim Chi, two pillars of the Vietnamese women's team that won the 22nd SEA Games, have now become part of the coaching staff. From being "supporting actors" for Thailand at the SEA Games, the Vietnamese women's team rose to win the title, dominate Southeast Asia, begin to gain fame in Asia, and then reach the peak with a ticket to the World Cup.
Only coach Mai Duc Chung, despite being at the age of enjoying his children and grandchildren, despite craving meals cooked by his wife or fishing trips with his old friends, still braved the sun and rain, holding a sand table and stepping into the battlefield, then opening his arms to receive the joy like a "child" when he and the Vietnamese women's team reached a new milestone. The night after his students' match of their lifetime against the German women's team, coach Mai Duc Chung was so nervous that he could hardly sleep. But the next morning, he still woke up very early, pondered the match, reviewed the lesson plan, and then evaluated the shortcomings of the Vietnamese women's team.
That is the perfectionism of "father" Chung, as the players often call him. He is gentle on the field, but absolutely strict in terms of expertise. The "old general" has experienced enough battle to understand how to bring his students back to earth, teaching them to forget all the glory of the SEA Games, ignore the compliments, and focus on the road ahead.
Dedicated teacher...
...and the humility of Vietnamese women's football
Coach Mai Duc Chung, regardless of rain or shine, directs his students at SEA Games 32
Legend of Vietnamese football
The key is persistence
Bringing the Vietnamese women's team to glory is difficult, maintaining the continuous progress over a long period of time even though he and his students have had enough glory, that is also the art of coaching of coach Mai Duc Chung. Under "general" Chung, the Vietnamese women's team has always improved with each tournament.
In 2018, when the Hanoi coach's team lost to Taiwan on penalties in the quarter-finals of the 18th Asian Games, there were doubts about a team that was too much for Southeast Asia, but not enough for Asia. The Thai women's team in 2015 was in a similar situation, playing well in Southeast Asia, but "falling off the pedestal" when entering the Asian and world arenas, and then falling into a tailspin. However, the same thing did not happen to the Vietnamese women's team. Although the gap with the top group in Asia is not impossible to bridge.
The Vietnamese women's team has been training hard, not only to maintain their position in Southeast Asia, but also to gradually catch up with the intensity in Asia, before having a memorable match against Germany. That is a pivotal match that can change the "mindset" of Vietnamese women's football. From now on, when facing strong teams, the players will no longer be afraid, but can fight calmly. Calm like the celebration, although not too passionate, but full of inner strength of coach Mai Duc Chung.
Coach Mai Duc Chung and the Vietnamese women's team are ready for the 2023 World Cup
"Coaching is like teaching, imparting knowledge to students. And before becoming famous, students must become good people first. I want my students to be good, to live lovingly, to be tolerant, and to be harmonious. So I also have to live in a way that students can look up to. I can't say anything about the players if I live differently from what I teach. I'm afraid of competition, I don't like to show off or make noise. But when I hold a sandbox on the field to coach or direct match tactics, I'm like a general going into battle, I have to be gentle and firm at the right time. I'm flexible but still decisive. Perhaps I think I'm who I am today thanks to my patience and perseverance. Especially perseverance, almost never discouraged or giving up," coach Mai Duc Chung shared.
"Victory belongs to the most tenacious" is the famous sports slogan written on the Philippe Chatrier court at the French Open tennis tournament held in early June. Persistence has been, is and will always be the key to success in sports. Coach Mai Duc Chung has been persistent in building the foundation for the women's team for many years. His reward at the end of his career is the pinnacle of the World Cup, where Vietnamese women's football is ready for the wildest dreams.
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