Two goals by Huynh Nhu and Nguyen Thi Thanh Nha at the Olympic Stadium (Phnom Penh, Cambodia) helped the Vietnamese women's team defeat Myanmar 2-0 to win the championship. Compared to the finals of the 31st and 30th SEA Games, where coach Mai Duc Chung's team defeated Thailand by the smallest margin to win the championship, the victory over Myanmar on the evening of May 15 was considered easier. Huynh Nhu opened the scoring early, the Vietnamese women's team controlled the game, attacked continuously and closed the door of hope for Myanmar with Thanh Nha's skillful chip in the 76th minute.
The Vietnamese women's team won easily against Myanmar with class, as is typical in most matches at the 32nd SEA Games. However, we cannot underestimate the achievements of Mr. Chung and his team. Because the number of 4 consecutive championships of the team itself speaks for its value. The Vietnamese women's team has maintained the No. 1 position in the SEA Games playground for 6 years (from 2017 to present), undefeated in 16 of the last 17 matches in this arena. Reaching the top is difficult, maintaining the motivation to stand at the top for many consecutive years, defeating all opponents who want to take the No. 1 position, not losing the will to try because of too much glory,... those qualities have been nurtured by the Vietnamese women's team over many generations, creating a sustainable cycle of domination.
At each SEA Games, the Vietnamese women's team faces a different type of difficulty. In 2017 and 2019, Huynh Nhu and her teammates had to compete with the Thai women's team, which was in its heyday with a ticket to the World Cup and championship titles at the AFF Cup. At the 31st SEA Games (2022), in addition to Thailand and Myanmar, which are very strong, the Vietnamese women's team also faced the obstacle of the Philippines, with many naturalized Filipino players who had previously reached the semi-finals of the 2022 Asian Cup. This year, in addition to all those difficulties from the opponent, coach Mai Duc Chung also faced injuries to key central defender Chuong Thi Kieu, some of the pillars were old, while the young players were inexperienced.
"Women's football is different from men's football. We don't have many players to choose from because the national women's championship has fewer participating clubs than the V-League," coach Mai Duc Chung shared. Responding to Thanh Nien on the morning of May 16, Mr. Chung was still emotional: "My current emotions can be said to be overflowing, happy. The Vietnamese women's team has encountered many difficulties. Many players are injured, young players have just joined the team, and there are other issues that I cannot talk about."
The key to helping the Vietnamese women's team overcome difficulties at the 32nd SEA Games was prepared by coach Mai Duc Chung 3 years ago. In early 2020, when the Vietnamese women's team had just returned from the success at the 30th SEA Games, coach Mai Duc Chung immediately gathered his forces. He promoted a number of young players from the Vietnam U.20 team such as Nguyen Thi Thanh Nha, Nguyen Thi Tuyen Ngan, Ngan Thi Van Su, Tran Thi Hai Linh, Luong Thi Thu Thuong,... to practice with their seniors.
The 73-year-old coach interweaves young players with experienced players to build the future generation, right from the time when Huynh Nhu, Nguyen Thi Tuyet Dung or the generation of Chuong Thi Kieu, Tran Thi Kim Thanh are still at the peak of their performance. That is a necessary preparation for the future.
Coach Mai Duc Chung's efforts to nurture the team have paid off. The Vietnamese women's team won the championship thanks to the experience of the veteran players, but also the clear contribution of young talents. Hai Linh was used in the center of the defense line to replace Chuong Thi Kieu, before that Thu Thuong became part of the defense that helped the Vietnamese women's team win a ticket to the 2023 World Cup through the Asian Cup. The most prominent is young striker Thanh Nha - who chipped the ball into the Myanmar net in the final. The Hanoi team's striker has gradually improved with each match, from being only strong in sprinting to becoming a dangerous striker with important goals against Myanmar (2 goals) and Nepal in recent times.
The scenario of Huynh Nhu opening the score and Thanh Nha sealing the victory in the SEA Games final is like a generational flow. A seasoned player scores the opening goal and a young talent seals the victory. That is the achievement of the present and opens up a bright future. With a generation of talent growing through each layer of battle sediment, the Vietnamese women's team has a bright future.
The Vietnamese women's team has affirmed its name at the SEA Games, but how to take advantage of this springboard to reach out to the world is a difficult problem for coach Mai Duc Chung and his team.
In the Southeast Asian arena, the Vietnamese women's team is superior because its main competitors in the past 10-15 years have only been Thailand, Myanmar or recently the Philippines. But stepping out into Asia and the world, the pressure is very different. For example, the Vietnamese women's team lost to Japan, South Korea, China, and Australia when entering the Asian Cup. Despite their best efforts, coach Mai Duc Chung's students could only "hold on" to losing by a margin of about 2 or 3 goals.
With the World Cup, the pressure is even greater. The Vietnamese women's team lost 0-7 to France in a friendly match in 2022, in which France did not play at full strength, but still scored 6 goals against the team coached by Mr. Chung in the first half. The difference in speed, physical condition, technique, and tactical level of the female players is even more difficult than that of the male players, in the context that the female team's coaching staff does not have many options.
"I still have many points that I am not satisfied with, mainly in terms of expertise. As for the players' competitive spirit, I am very satisfied. I hope that young players will practice and compete more, and I also hope that there will be more women's clubs so that professionals like us have more faces to choose from. Currently, we have too few faces to choose from, when there are only 4 or 5 clubs in the country. I told this to other coaches, they were very surprised that Vietnamese women's football only has that many teams but the Vietnamese women's team is like this, while their country has more than 30 women's clubs. I hope there will be more young players, more women's clubs so that the coaching staff has more options," coach Mai Duc Chung confided to Thanh Nien.
Without proper preparation, the Vietnamese women's team is at risk of falling into a half-hearted state like Thailand five years ago. That is more than enough for Southeast Asia, but not enough for Asia and the world. The "precarious situation between hills" of the Vietnamese women's team could lead to loss of direction or a long slide like Thailand encountered.
To prepare for the directionless flow, the Vietnamese football "ship" needs to be firmly on the rudder and have a clear shape in both strategy and personnel. Coach Mai Duc Chung is nurturing and nurturing the young generation very well. This month, the Vietnamese women's team will return to training, then train in Germany and Poland to gain experience in preparation for the World Cup.
"We will train in Japan before attending the SEA Games, then go to Germany for 15 to 20 days of training and play friendly matches with strong teams. Playing against strong teams is an advantage for the Vietnamese women's team. The players rarely play internationally, which is a weakness that needs to be overcome. The VFF will work with the Football Federations of other countries to support us in our training trips. Getting acquainted with strong teams is a stepping stone for the Vietnamese women's team to play well at the 2023 World Cup. We still have a lot of work to do, such as improving physical strength, improving coordination, and constantly playing against strong teams so that when we go to the World Cup, the players will play with confidence and steadfastness, whether the opponent is the US or the Netherlands. The Vietnamese women's team does not go to the World Cup to play around. The players will compete so that everyone can see what Vietnamese women's players can do," said coach Mai Duc Chung.
Bringing the Vietnamese spirit to the World Cup is the desire of coach Mai Duc Chung and his team. That is the highest peak that Vietnamese women's football has ever reached, and certainly, Huynh Nhu and her teammates do not want this to be just a temporary achievement. After the first time participating in the World Cup, the further goal of the Vietnamese women's team will be to participate in this tournament many more times.
However, the achievements of the Vietnamese women's team are only the tip of the iceberg of football, and as Mr. Chung admitted, Vietnamese women's football still has many shortcomings. That is, the income of many female players is still modest, not enough to cover their living expenses, nor is it attractive enough for families to agree to let their children pursue a career in football. That is, the number of football teams is small, and is decreasing every year. Currently, the main training sources for Vietnamese women's football only include Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Nam and Quang Ninh, besides the Youth Football Training Center of the Vietnam Football Federation. This number may be enough for Southeast Asia, but it is too small if we want to expect to regularly participate in the World Cup.
Finally, the Vietnamese women's team has improved, and their opponents have not stood still. According to the former head of the Vietnamese women's team, Mr. Duong Vu Lam, countries like Uzbekistan and Iran have begun to pay more attention to women's football. The Philippines has also naturalized many physically fit players playing in Europe and the US, immediately earning glory at the AFF Cup 2022 when they beat Thailand and Vietnam. Maintaining the peak and then taking advantage of the breakthrough momentum in the future is not only the task of the Vietnamese women's team, but also of the entire women's football industry. How much effort must be put in so that the sweat shed on the field today will not be in vain!
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