Coach Mai Duc Chung: 'Meeting the German team is mainly to learn'

Coach Mai Duc Chung sees today's friendly match with the German women's team as an opportunity for Vietnam to gain experience before entering the 2023 World Cup.

Coach Mai Duc Chung of the Vietnam women's team. Photo: Duc Dong — Coach Mai Duc Chung of the Vietnam women's team. Photo: *Duc Dong*

Vietnam will face Germany at Bieberer Berg Stadium at 6:15 p.m. Berlin time, or 11:15 p.m. Hanoi time today, June 24. Germany is currently ranked second in the FIFA women's team rankings, 30 places above Vietnam, but is on a completely different level. They won the World Cup twice in 2003 and 2007, won the 2016 Olympic gold medal and won the Euro eight times.

"Vietnam meets Germany mainly to learn," coach Mai Duc Chung said at a press conference before the match on the evening of June 23. "I know Germany's level is much higher than Vietnam's, so the main goal in this match is just to gain experience so that when we enter the upcoming World Cup, we will have less difficulty when meeting the US and the Netherlands."

The Vietnamese women's team trained in Germany and Poland since early June. The team played three friendly matches, winning 2-1 against the Frankfurt youth team, 2-0 against German third-tier club Schott Mainz, and losing 1-2 to Poland U23. Coach Mai Duc Chung said the Vietnamese players improved when facing opponents who were skilled, tall, and physically strong.

Meanwhile, striker Pham Hai Yen is confident that the recent preparation process will help the team perform at their best. "We are not negligent, but focused on the most important match of the training trip," Hai Yen said. "Hopefully the team will score at least one goal to show gratitude to the audience."

Huynh Nhu is recovering from an injury sustained in the loss to U23 Poland on June 19. Photo: VFF — Huynh Nhu is recovering from an injury sustained in the loss to U23 Poland on June 19. Photo: *VFF*

During the current training session in Europe, Vietnam focused on improving speed and fitness, increasing the ability to put pressure on the opponent. The synchronized defense system was further trained and ready to be tested through the match against a strong opponent like Germany. The team has also just been reinforced with fitness coach Cedric Roger after the Vietnam men's team finished the friendly matches against Hong Kong and Syria.

A year ago, Vietnam lost 0-7 to France - the fifth-ranked team in the world. That was a rare occasion for the players to face European style, a lesson for tonight's match.

In the match against Germany, Vietnam will be without Huynh Nhu - the captain striker who suffered an ankle injury in the loss to U23 Poland, only recovering just before the 2023 World Cup. After the match, the Vietnamese women's team will return home for a few days and then go to New Zealand for further training in early July, playing two friendly matches - against the host team and Spain - before attending the World Cup.

Hieu Luong

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