Match preview: Vietnam Women vs Portugal Women, Group Stage, Women's World Cup 2023, 2:30 PM, July 27th. After a courageous opening match against the USA, our girls are increasingly confident for the next challenge.
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| The Vietnamese women's national team players play their opening match at the 2023 Women's World Cup. (Source: VFF) |
With five days of rest, coach Mai Duc Chung's team has had ample time to recover and meticulously plan for what is considered the most important match of the group stage. This is also the best opportunity for the Vietnamese women's team to create a surprise.
The Vietnamese women's team made a strong impression.
In their very first World Cup debut, Huỳnh Như and her teammates faced the strongest team in history, a four-time champion, and boasting "living legends" like Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe.
Everyone was worried because four years earlier, another Southeast Asian representative, the Thai women's team, had lost to the USA by 13 goals. Therefore, a scenario of a heavy defeat for the girls in red was mentioned by many before the match.
However, contrary to that expectation, the Vietnamese women's team only conceded two goals in the first half. And in the second half, the US team tried hard to widen the gap but only managed to score one more goal.
The world press was also surprised by how a newcomer caused more trouble than expected against the tournament's top contender. And of course, there's a reason for everything.
First of all, credit must be given to the coaching staff and players for their excellent mental preparation for the match.
Even in their first match against a formidable opponent, the Vietnamese golden girls were not overwhelmed. The players calmly followed the tactics set out, maintaining consistency across all lines.
Despite conceding an early goal, there was no sign of panic or despair. Everyone remained calm and composed, so even though the US team wanted to, they couldn't push us to the point of collapse like they had done against Thailand and many other weaker teams.
Secondly, it's about organizing a sound defense. Coach Mai Duc Chung didn't opt for a defensive approach that clung to the penalty area; instead, he had his players contest for the ball earlier up front.
This tactic makes it difficult for opponents to build up play and forces them to pass the ball back and forth quite a lot. Of course, to achieve this, players need to maintain extremely tight tactical discipline.
If the opponent has already broken through our defensive line, we shouldn't be eager to contest the ball high up the field, but instead retreat immediately and quickly reinforce the next line of defense.
The players covered for each other well and minimized the chances of being in one-on-one situations. This was because the US team had excellent speed and technique.
With such a tactical setup, the defending champions, despite having more possession and more shots on goal, were mostly not in the most advantageous positions.
According to statistics, despite taking 28 shots, the US team's expected goals per game (EMP) was only 4.4.
Vietnam conceded 3 goals, meaning they prevented 1.4 more goals than expected. This is thanks to the outstanding performance of goalkeeper Kim Thanh.
Kim Thanh's most notable achievement was winning the penalty shootout against veteran striker Alex Morgan, boosting the Vietnamese team's morale and dampening the enthusiasm of the American playmaker.
Furthermore, towards the end of the second half, when the opposing team intensified their use of crosses, our defenders were at a disadvantage as they couldn't match the height and physical strength of the opposing forwards. Kim Thanh repeatedly and bravely rushed out to contest the ball and repeatedly punched the ball away from the opponent's head, averting danger.
Following their encouraging debut, it's now time for the entire coaching staff and players to thoroughly study their opponents in this second match.
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| The Vietnamese women's national team. (Source: Getty Images) |
What does the Portuguese women's national team have to offer?
Like Vietnam, this is the first time the girls from Southern Europe have participated in the World Cup, along with six other teams: Zambia, Philippines, Morocco, Panama, Haiti, and the Republic of Ireland.
Portugal had to beat Cameroon 2-1 in the intercontinental play-off to secure their ticket to New Zealand.
In the past, the Portuguese women's team wasn't particularly outstanding in Europe, but in the last seven years or so, they have made significant progress. This is evidenced by their participation in major tournaments, including Euro 2017, Euro 2022, and now the World Cup.
In the FIFA rankings, Portugal is currently ranked 21st, 11 places higher than Vietnam. In their first match against the Netherlands, they lost 0-1.
Portugal were clearly outmatched by the tournament's runners-up. They only managed two shots on goal, compared to 12 from their opponents. This is actually not too surprising, because in their previous eight encounters, the Netherlands had won seven times.
Vietnam is ready to make its mark.
Undeniably, the Portuguese women's team is still a very strong team and completely superior to us. Furthermore, having lost their opening match, they now need to be even more determined to win 3 points in order to have any hope of advancing from this tough group.
However, compared to the US and the Netherlands, Portugal is still far behind, and their ranking is closer to Vietnam's. Therefore, this is our best chance to make a difference.
The 0-1 defeat in their opening match also revealed some of Portugal's weaknesses. They didn't close down the flanks effectively enough, allowing the Netherlands to penetrate their defenses and create attacking opportunities on several occasions.
In addition, they often make mistakes in positioning to receive crosses. The Netherlands have exploited this weakness many times, and one such instance led to a goal.
Vietnam had prepared thoroughly for the match against Portugal, starting with the game against the USA. Against the world's number one team, we focused solely on defense and didn't put too much pressure on the attacking players.
Huỳnh Như primarily participated in defensive duties from afar and was later substituted to conserve energy. Additionally, winger Thanh Nhã was given a complete rest, aiming to save her best for the match against Portugal. Thanh Nhã's speed will be beneficial for quick attacking moves and creating breakthroughs.
The key qualities of Vietnamese women are now fully developed and ready, both physically and mentally.
Hopefully, veteran coach Mai Duc Chung and his players will have a good match, defend solidly, and create some bold plays that surprise the opposing defense.
There will be more opportunities than in the opening match, and if we take advantage of them, we will score our first goal in the World Cup.
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