"They are different teams but we will face them in the same way to win. We want to win all three games. The way we do it is to recognize the characteristics of each team and respect them equally," FIFA's homepage quoted Portugal defender Carole Costa as saying.
Costa has played 150 times for the national team. She was the player who scored the decisive goal in the qualifying round that helped the Portuguese team qualify for the Women's World Cup for the first time. In the final round, Portugal was one of the three opponents of the Vietnamese women's team.
The Vietnamese women's team is rated the lowest in group E.
In the latest FIFA rankings, the Portuguese team is ranked 21st (12 places higher than the Vietnamese team). Compared to the US (current world champion) or the Netherlands (current world runner-up), Portugal is rated lower. However, compared to the Vietnamese team, this European team is stronger in many aspects.
"We will take it game by game, respecting the other teams but also believing in ourselves. Unite and focus on the task, take it game by game and see what happens," said Carole Costa.
"We are a very united team and have competition from ourselves. We are a collective that always wants to surpass ourselves in every moment and that is our secret. The Portuguese team also has excellent individuals but when put together as a collective, we become stronger."
The Vietnamese women's team will face Portugal in the second match of the group stage. The match will take place at 2:30 p.m. on July 27 at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton. Before that, coach Mai Duc Chung and his team will face the US team in their opening match on July 22.
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