The Vietnamese women's team is expected to win all 3 points on the first day of the tournament, when they begin their journey at ASIAD 19 with a match against the Nepal women's team at 3:00 p.m. on September 22.
The Vietnamese women's team set a target of winning and scoring many goals against Nepal's women. Illustrative photo. (Source: VFF) |
Coach Mai Duc Chung and his team have had 2 days of training and preparation in Wenzhou city - where the group stage matches will take place. The "Diamond Girls" entered the ASIAD campaign as the best representative of Southeast Asian football, having participated in the World Cup finals more than a month ago.
Vietnam women's football team has had an impressive performance at the continental sports festival when they were in the top 4 finals 5 years ago. The goal of coach Mai Duc Chung and his team at this ASIAD is to win a place in the semi-finals.
Sharing after the training session on September 21, captain of the Vietnamese women's team Pham Hai Yen said: "I hope that I can successfully pass the group stage with the whole team.
Previously, the Vietnamese team also met the Nepalese women's team twice in the first qualifying round of the Olympics last April and won both times, but my teammates and I were not subjective and also highly appreciated our opponents.
The Nepal women's team players have good physical strength so we need to focus and make efforts in the upcoming match."
Grouped with Nepal, Bangladesh and Japan at ASIAD 2019, the race to the top of Group D is expected to mainly take place between the Vietnamese women's team and the team from the "land of cherry blossoms".
To qualify for the quarter-finals, coach Mai Duc Chung and his team must win the group or be one of the three best runners-up out of five teams. Therefore, in the opening match against Nepal, in addition to winning to get 3 points, scoring many goals against this opponent is also very important.
The absence of many key players such as Huynh Nhu, Chuong Thi Kieu, Vu Thi Hoa, Nguyen Thi My Anh and Tran Thi Thuy Nga for various reasons will partly create conditions for coach Mai Duc Chung to experiment and give opportunities to players who rarely play.
The women's team has a strong rejuvenation with 10/22 players in the U23 age group and this is considered a fulcrum for coach Mai Duc Chung to bring a new look and improve the efficiency of the playing style. In addition to Kim Thanh, Thu Thuong, Tran Thi Thu, Thanh Nha, Hoang Thi Loan occupying the starting positions, midfielder Hai Linh can be on the field in the match on the afternoon of September 22.
Meanwhile, the Nepal women's team has not changed much and coach Ananta Raj Thapa will use the core of the squad that competed in the 2024 Olympic qualifiers in April. Notable pillars include Subba, Bimala, Ghimira, Bhujel, Limbu and Bhandari.
Also in the 2024 Olympic qualifiers, the Vietnamese women's team defeated the host team Nepal in both matches, with scores of 5-1 and 2-0 respectively. Coach Mai Duc Chung's strikers clearly showed their superiority over their opponents in terms of expertise and experience.
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