Vietnam women's team lost its "steel shield" at the 2023 World Cup?

Since July 2022, after tearing her knee ligament, center-back Chuong Thi Kieu has been working hard to return.

Can Chuong Thi Kieu play at the 2023 World Cup?

But since then, the "steel shield" of the Vietnamese women's team has never been in the best physical condition.

However, coach Mai Duc Chung still let her follow the team to practice and maintain her ball sense.

During the training trip in Germany to prepare for the 2023 World Cup, coach Mai Duc Chung decided to let the player from Kien Giang play for about 15 minutes in the match against Schott Mainz Club.

Even though she only faced a weak opponent, Kieu still showed that she was quite timid with the ball and could not maintain her flexibility.

Most recently, in two friendly matches before the 2023 World Cup against New Zealand and Spain, Chuong Thi Kieu did not play a single minute.

During the time the 1995-born player was injured, coach Mai Duc Chung continuously tested Diem My, Tran Thi Thu or Thu Huong for the central defender position of the Vietnamese women's team.

Although these players have somewhat met the requirements of the coaching staff, they still have a big gap to reach the level of Chuong Thi Kieu.

Besides being 1m66 tall, the player of Ho Chi Minh City I Club also shows good ability to read situations and is the leader of the defense of the Vietnamese women's team.

At the 2023 World Cup, the red team fell into a group with good attacking opponents such as the US, the Netherlands and Portugal.

The defense of the Vietnamese women's team must be put first and if Chuong Thi Kieu cannot play, it will be a huge loss.

There are currently no details on the 27-year-old midfielder's injury.

But the fact that she was not allowed to play in recent friendly matches has increased fans' worries.

According to schedule, the Vietnamese women's team will play the opening match of the 2023 World Cup against the US on July 22.

Source: http://www.baogiaothong.vn/doi-tuyen-nu-viet-nam-mat-la-chan-thep-tai-world-cup-2023-d597486.html