"I'm sorry that this group previously had 4 teams, but then 2 teams withdrew and there are only 2 teams left. The Vietnamese women's team hopes to compete with other teams to prepare for the World Cup. We are not here to play around," coach Mai Duc Chung said at a press conference before the match against Nepal in the 2024 Paris Olympics qualifiers.
Initially, the Vietnamese team's group had 4 teams. However, the Palestinian and Afghan women's teams withdrew one after another. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) did not redraw the lots. The group only has 2 teams left, Vietnam and Nepal, playing 2 matches. The winner after 2 matches will qualify for the next qualifying round.
Coach Mai Duc Chung aims to defeat Nepal.
The Vietnamese team is rated higher than Nepal. However, coach Mai Duc Chung is cautious and shows respect for his opponent.
The head coach of the Vietnamese team said: "We respect Nepal very much. You have also made a lot of progress in your skills. The Vietnamese women's team will try their best in tomorrow's match and the match on April 8.
We have never met you, never played against you. But we have watched all the matches you played and I am very impressed. You have made very fast progress in Asia. We will have to pay close attention to tomorrow's match. The Nepal women's team has a very good number 9 striker. We rate this player very highly."
In the upcoming 2 matches, the Vietnamese women's team will not have the service of midfielder Nguyen Thi Van. She suffered a serious injury in the final match of the 2023 Women's National Cup. It is likely that the star born in 1997 will have to rest for 1 year with the injury of her anterior cruciate ligament.
In return, coach Mai Duc Chung will have the services of captain striker Huynh Nhu. She has been allowed by Lank Club to join the Vietnamese women's team. Huynh Nhu will travel from Portugal to Nepal on April 2 and join her teammates.
Also at the press conference, striker Huynh Nhu said: “ We watched the video of the match between the Nepalese and Indian women's teams. The Nepalese team has good technique and has improved a lot in recent years. Therefore, tomorrow's match will be a difficult one. However, we came here to win and will try our best. I will make the most of what I learned in Portugal for the two upcoming matches.”
Vietnam women's team will meet Nepal women's team on April 5 and April 8.
Mai Phuong
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