When the Vietnamese women's national team's pride was hurt.
Clearly, the painful 0-1 defeat to the Philippines women's team on December 8th, with the winning goal conceded in the 90+4th minute of injury time, deeply wounded the pride of the Vietnamese women's team and their veteran coach, Mai Duc Chung, who received a great deal of criticism. Instead of succumbing to pressure, in that difficult situation, Huynh Nhu and her teammates proved everyone wrong with their composure, experience, and the class of a team that has participated in the World Cup.
With their skill and class, the Vietnamese women's national team will advance straight to the final of the SEA Games 33 women's football tournament.
Photo: Kha Hoa
The 2-0 victory against strong opponent Myanmar on December 11th confirmed this. The Vietnamese women's team not only regained the fans' trust, but they are also expected to continue to maintain their passion, belief, and ambition to reach the final, despite facing a significant challenge in the semi-finals against Indonesia, a team rapidly improving thanks to its naturalized players.
The crucial nature of a semi-final leaves no room for complacency, regardless of the opponent. Coach Mai Duc Chung and his team need to maintain high levels of concentration, continue to demonstrate their character and class to secure victory. This will allow them to prepare for the final if they advance.
Remember, the Vietnamese women's team's goal is to win the gold medal, defend their achievement from two years ago, and continue making history with their fifth consecutive SEA Games title. However, there will be challenges for the Vietnamese women's team, as their Indonesian opponents have recently made remarkable progress.
The President of the Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI), Erick Thohir, in addition to the naturalization strategy for the men's national team, has also significantly strengthened the women's team with naturalized and foreign-born players. Although the Indonesian women's team has not yet achieved the same breakthrough as the men's team, they have made certain progress.
Historically, the Indonesian women's team has never beaten the Vietnamese women's team. In 13 encounters across all tournaments since 1997, the "Garuda Pertiwi" (the nickname of the Indonesian women's team) have lost all 13 matches against Huynh Nhu and her teammates. They have also conceded 79 goals while only scoring 1, according to statistics from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
This encounter might be slightly different from previous ones, as the Indonesian women's team has added several naturalized players, helping them improve. However, limitations and a disparity in skill level still remain when compared to top regional teams with strong capabilities like the Vietnamese, Thai, and Philippine women's teams.
In their opening match in Group A, the Indonesian women's team lost to Thailand with a score of 0-8. They only regained hope of reaching the semi-finals after winning against the not-so-strong Singapore team with a score of 2-1.
Coach Mai Duc Chung and his players still hold the Indonesian women's team in high regard, but this also shows their confidence and their recognition of their opponent's limitations. From there, they can aim for the perfect victory they hope to secure a place in the final.
Besides winning, the Vietnamese women's team needs to preserve their strength and avoid unnecessary physical deterioration. In this knockout stage, after the semi-finals, teams only have 3 days of rest to prepare for the final or the bronze medal match.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bong-da-sea-games-33-nu-viet-nam-vs-nu-indonesia-ve-chung-ket-trong-tay-185251214101046262.htm
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