Keep the faith.

Not only did they achieve their set goals, but winning the SEA Games 32 championship also helped the Vietnamese women's team maintain the fans' confidence. (Photo: Tuan Huu)

Along with that, the "Diamond Girls" also made history by winning the SEA Games gold medal for the fourth consecutive time. The achievement of coach Mai Duc Chung's team not only affirmed their number one position in the region, but also helped Vietnamese football maintain the faith of fans, especially after the U22 national team failed to achieve its goal in Cambodia.

In fact, the Vietnamese women's team faced considerable pressure before entering the 32nd SEA Games. "Winning is difficult, defending the title is even harder," especially considering the Vietnamese women had already won three consecutive tournaments. In the most recent regional tournament, the AFF Cup last July, the Vietnamese women's team suffered a comprehensive defeat, losing 0-4 to the Philippines in the semi-finals and 3-4 to Myanmar in the third-place match. Clearly, the progress of regional rivals is significant; the Philippines, Myanmar, and Thailand all want to dethrone the Vietnamese women's team at the 32nd SEA Games. Furthermore, concerns for the Vietnamese women's team were not unfounded, as the team was undergoing a rejuvenation and transition of personnel. For a team, this is a very sensitive period; without real resilience and stability, defeat can easily lead to decline. However, above all, through effort and determination for the national flag, the Vietnamese women's team overcame each challenge to achieve a convincing victory in the final, bringing glory to Vietnamese football.

“I’ve never praised anyone before, but today the whole team played very well, executing all the tactics set out. This was truly a difficult tournament. I myself didn’t know if we could win the championship. The reason is that many players in the team are older, while many young players are new, lack experience, and have had little time to prepare,” Coach Mai Duc Chung proudly said about his players after the SEA Games 32 final. “No championship is easy. Each tournament brings a different emotion. Today is the day the Vietnamese women’s team made history. That’s also the motivation for the team members to encourage each other to try harder to bring home another gold medal for the fans,” captain Huynh Nhu affirmed.

It can be said that when the U22 Vietnam team failed to reach the final match at the SEA Games 32, it was the "Diamond Girls" who fought on behalf of their counterparts in the final, ultimately bringing glory to Vietnamese football. This also serves as a foundation for the Vietnamese women's national team to maintain the fans' faith, especially as the road ahead for Coach Mai Duc Chung's team is still full of challenges, including the 2023 World Cup, the 19th Asian Games, and the second round of the 2024 Olympic Games.

NGOC LY

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