The afternoon training session on July 9th began, as usual, with warm-up exercises led by fitness coach Cedric Roger and his assistants. After the players were in good shape, they quickly moved on to the main training session under coach Mai Duc Chung. However, the afternoon session on July 9th faced difficulties as heavy rain fell in Napier. To ensure the health of Huynh Nhu and her teammates before the friendly match against co-hosts of the 2023 World Cup, New Zealand, coach Mai Duc Chung decided to increase the intensity of the workout and finish early.

The Vietnamese women's national team is working hard in training to improve their physical fitness and meet the technical and tactical requirements of the coaching staff. Photo: VFF

Meanwhile, team leader Truong Hai Tung and other professional staff held a meeting with the organizers of the friendly match, representatives of the New Zealand women's team, and referees to finalize related issues. It must be said that the New Zealand side prepared very thoroughly for the friendly match against the Vietnamese women's team. The New Zealand organizers wanted to use this friendly match to review the final preparations for the 2023 World Cup.

On the training ground, defender Tran Thi Hai Linh affirmed that she and the entire team are very excited and highly focused on the friendly match against host New Zealand. Assistant coach Doan Thi Kim Chi shared: “If it doesn't rain, it will be less cold. The pitch here is beautiful, and the accommodation is good. In the past, when I was a player, I only occasionally got to play on such a beautiful pitch during Asian tournaments.”

The weather in Napier has been relatively harsh these past few days. Fitness coach Cedric Roger said: “The weather here is very different from Hanoi , which is only around 10 degrees Celsius. There was heavy rain and strong winds over the weekend, making it feel colder. If the players warm up properly, I think there shouldn't be any problems with their current fitness level.”

This morning (July 10th), coach Mai Duc Chung and his players will hold a tactical meeting before their friendly match against the New Zealand women's national team at 12:30 PM (Vietnam time) at McLean Park.

In preparation for the 2023 World Cup, the New Zealand women's national team has had a poor run of form, with only 1 win, 2 draws, and 8 losses in their last 11 matches. Therefore, the friendly match against the Vietnam women's national team is seen as a good opportunity for coach Jitka Klimkova's team to win and build momentum heading into the 2023 World Cup.

This is also the final friendly match for the New Zealand women's national team before the 2023 World Cup, so it's highly likely that McLean Park, with a capacity of 20,000 spectators, will be full. Vietnamese fans can watch this friendly match live on On Sports News, the YouTube channel of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF Channel), at 12:30 PM on July 10th.

NGUYEN CONG