Fun afternoon of Vietnam women's team

Premium chocolates, local souvenirs with touching handwritten wishes... were given to Huynh Nhu and her teammates by many overseas Vietnamese in New Zealand.

Huynh Nhu and teammates give autographs to Vietnamese and New Zealand fans - Photo: TR.N.

That was the atmosphere in the special training session of the Vietnamese women's team on the afternoon of July 18 in Auckland City.

Especially because this is the only official training session open to the public for live viewing of the Vietnamese women's team before starting to compete at the 2023 Women's World Cup .

Very happy memories

The training ground of the Vietnamese women's team at Fred Taylor Park on the afternoon of July 18 had four red flags with yellow stars fluttering against the blue winter sky.

Unlike the usual closed practice sessions (only allowing the media to attend for 15 minutes), 200 overseas Vietnamese, Vietnamese students and many New Zealanders brought their children to the stadium to cheer for the Vietnamese girls.

The appearance of the animated penguin Tazuni on the field added to the excitement. Many people wore red shirts with yellow stars, and women stuck national flag stickers on their cheeks.

New Zealand children also brought balls and waved red flags waiting to interact and get autographs from the Vietnamese stars. Fans were excited when coach Mai Duc Chung led the female players to the interaction area.

Mr. Tran Dang Hien (66 years old), has been living in New Zealand for seven months, and is very excited about watching the Vietnamese women's team compete in the World Cup in a foreign land.

"I don't care about the results of the upcoming matches, I just go to the stadium to cheer for the team to play their best. Our women's team entering the World Cup is a historic feat and we will always support them," said Mr. Hien.

Jess Smith and Jo Peel, two female students from Auckland University of Technology (AUT), smiled happily when taking a photo with the players and had them sign their arms. They said: "We are very happy to know that the Vietnamese women's team is training and competing in Auckland. This is a very happy memory!"

Beautiful pictures

"Thuy quickly move here. Like standing there and then passing the ball...", Coach Mai Duc Chung continuously said and demonstrated on the field to help his students practice better. The Vietnamese girls warmed up for 30 minutes. Then they divided into two groups to diligently practice coordination on half the field. Finally, they divided into two teams to compete internally on the whole field for about 15 minutes.

Occasionally, the whole team would laugh and get the crowd excited as Mr. Chung sent everyone sprinting towards the balls at the halfway line.

"The whole team is in good spirits and has gotten used to the cold here thanks to arriving in New Zealand quite early," said coach Mai Duc Chung. The 72-year-old coach is very friendly with the audience and is respected and appreciated by his new New Zealand friends.

During a practice match, striker Hai Yen and midfielder Duong Thi Van unfortunately collided and had to lie down on the field. The team's doctors came to provide first aid and timely care for both of them.

At that time, Huynh Nhu and all her teammates stood in a circle to protect Yen and Van who were in pain. This image reminded us of the image of the Danish team standing together to shield their teammate Christian Eriksen when he had a cardiac arrest on the field at EURO 2020.

The small action shows the spirit of solidarity of the Vietnamese female players before the historic tournament.

Warm because of fan love

"The weather in New Zealand is very cold but we feel very warm because of the love of all the fans who have given us words of encouragement and cheering.

We will use that as motivation to compete with all our might," player Huynh Nhu said thank you for the affection of overseas Vietnamese and fans from home who came to New Zealand to support the team.

Present at the training ground, Mr. John Robinson, a former judge living in Auckland, told Tuoi Tre: "I am very happy that the Vietnamese women's team, which is participating in the World Cup for the first time, is playing in Auckland.

I believe that this event will contribute to strengthening the good relationship between the two countries. It is a connection of football love between Vietnamese and New Zealand fans. I wish your team will compete well and gain many valuable lessons in this hospitable New Zealand."

Tuoitre.vn

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