Nevertheless, participating in the World Cup remains a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the Vietnamese women's football players; Vietnamese football fans are proud to hear the Vietnamese national anthem played at the biggest women's football event on the planet. Before departing for New Zealand, the coaching staff and experts alike shared the same opinion: even scoring just one goal in the tournament would be historic for Vietnamese women's football.

Against top-tier opponents from around the world, there was almost no chance for coach Mai Duc Chung and his team to dream of a miracle.

Midfielder Bich Thuy missed a scoring opportunity when facing the Dutch women's national team goalkeeper. Photo: FIFA

Although they didn't achieve their goal of scoring, the Vietnamese women's team learned many valuable lessons. These included maintaining mental composure, as excitement isn't always a good thing in football. They also learned about organization, the ability to maintain tempo and team formation when facing taller, faster opponents. Furthermore, they learned about regaining their spirits and determination after heavy defeats. The World Cup remains a level beyond their reach; therefore, participating in this tournament was like a valuable "study abroad" trip for the Vietnamese women's team.

Despite the heavy 0-7 defeat to the Netherlands, the efforts of the Vietnamese women's team are commendable. Knowing they were inferior to their opponents in many aspects, they still boldly attacked, and even came close to scoring a goal if Bích Thùy had capitalized on a one-on-one opportunity with the Dutch goalkeeper.

After the match, public opinion wondered why the Vietnamese women's team didn't defend in large numbers to limit the number of goals conceded? Another viewpoint suggested that, since they had already been eliminated, the players wanted to play a fair game, hoping to keep their ambition of scoring goals on the world stage alive. Football expert Vu Manh Hai, a former The Cong player, commented: "Conceding 12 goals in 3 matches against top opponents is not a bad result. We can't expect the women's team to win like they did against the Philippines or Thailand earlier, because we were in a very difficult group."

The 2023 Women's World Cup has opened up many opportunities for international cooperation, youth football training, and has been a boost for the development of women's football in Vietnam. Having recently witnessed a training session of the Hanoi Women's Club's youth team, we observed the determination and efforts of these talented players, who aspire to one day participate in the World Cup. The coaches of the Hanoi Women's Club shared: "Thanks to the 2023 Women's World Cup effect, this summer we had a successful talent scouting campaign, recruiting many high-quality players."

The 2023 Women's World Cup was the first step in Vietnam's women's football journey towards greater heights. Much work remains to be done, lessons must be learned, and experience must be gained through competition before Vietnamese female players can truly mature. Mr. Phan Anh Tú, Vice President and General Secretary of the Hanoi Football Federation, stated: “After the 2023 Women's World Cup, we need to invest more systematically and professionally in women's football. The Vietnam Football Federation needs to organize more domestic and international tournaments so that young Vietnamese female football talents have the opportunity to compete, gain experience, and develop their competitive spirit.”

HUU TRUONG

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