At 8:30 p.m. on October 23, the Vietnamese women's team departed for Uzbekistan to participate in the second qualifying round of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Coach Mai Duc Chung and his team are in a difficult group with opponents Japan, India and host Uzbekistan.
According to the schedule, the Vietnamese women's team will compete with Uzbekistan at 7 p.m. on October 26. Then, at 5 p.m. on October 29, Vietnam will face India. At 5 p.m. on November 1, Thanh Nha and her teammates will play the final match of the second qualifying round, against the Japanese women's team.
These are highly difficult matches for the Vietnamese women's team. While Japan has affirmed its strength in the continental and world arenas (reaching the quarterfinals of the 2023 World Cup), India is a formidable force in Central Asia, and host Uzbekistan is making "lightning-fast" progress.
Vietnam women's team match schedule
Up to now, no TV station or media company in Vietnam has announced the broadcasting rights for the matches of the second qualifying round of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
At the 19th Asian Games, Uzbekistan defeated Taiwan to reach the semi-finals, then finished fourth overall. Uzbekistan's women's football has developed very strongly in the past 3-4 years when the women's teams continuously appeared in the national championship. Excellent technical qualities, excellent physical strength and home field advantage are the fulcrum for Uzbekistan to hope to create a surprise in the second qualifying round of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
To prepare for the challenging matches, the Vietnamese women's team has been training for 2 weeks at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center (Hanoi). Coach Mai Duc Chung said he has increased the intensity of exercise to help his players have good physical strength and speed to meet tactical requirements.
"We have been training for more than 2 weeks. With the current Vietnamese women's team, training for 2 weeks or even 2 months is still very short, I am still not completely satisfied. However, because the time is only that much, we have to try very hard.
The Vietnamese women's team has tried very hard, as the coaching staff increased the volume and intensity in a short period of time. The women's team competed in the 19th ASIAD, so they had a foundation and I continued to improve. The players have implemented the training plan set out by the coaching staff. The physical strength of the Vietnamese women's team is guaranteed to compete in the Olympic qualifiers," coach Mai Duc Chung shared.
Coach Mai Duc Chung and his students are ready.
The second qualifying round for the 2024 Paris Olympics is also the last tournament for coach Mai Duc Chung with the Vietnamese women's team. The 74-year-old strategist hopes: "This is my last tournament with the Vietnamese women's team. I have been working for many years, I want the next coach to do better than me. I have worked for many years, had a lot of luck, had the support and help of the whole team, of the clubs that sent players to the team for us to compete. Especially the leaders of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Department of Sports and Physical Training, and the VFF have supported me over the years. The media and press have also supported and encouraged me and the whole team over the past time."
On the morning of October 23, VFF Vice President Tran Anh Tu encouraged the Vietnamese women's team before their departure. VFF leaders affirmed that the Vietnamese women's players have shown professionalism in a year filled with major tournaments from regional, continental to world level.
Mr. Tran Anh Tu hopes that with the rejuvenation of the force, the Vietnamese women's team will have a good experience in the second qualifying round of the 2024 Olympics. This is also an opportunity for young talents to mature, aiming for the 2027 Women's World Cup.
Coach Mai Duc Chung checked in at Noi Bai airport on the evening of October 23.
On the evening of October 23, the Vietnamese women's team began their journey to Tashkent (Uzbekistan) to participate in the second qualifying round of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Coach Mai Duc Chung and his team's flight took off at 11:10 p.m. from Noi Bai International Airport and is expected to land at 1:30 p.m. (local time).
The Vietnamese women's team will have a 5-hour transit stop at Incheon International Airport (South Korea). Sharing about the journey to participate in the second qualifying round of the 2024 Paris Olympics, coach Mai Duc Chung said: "Before reducing the number of players from 24 to 21, not counting Huynh Nhu, the team proactively increased the volume and intensity of training in Hanoi. Competing at the 2023 ASIAD before that was also a foundation for the Vietnamese women's team. Up to now, the players' physical strength is guaranteed to compete in the 2024 Olympic qualifying round.
We may have just lost to Japan at the Asian Games, but the team will try to play better when we play this opponent again in the Olympic qualifiers. Better does not mean winning. I hope the players show the same fighting spirit as they did at the 2023 Women's World Cup. In this group, the team will also meet India and Uzbekistan. They are two difficult opponents, but the team affirms that they will try their best in every match."
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