Coach Mai Duc Chung: Malaysia is not a weak team.

VHO - The Vietnamese women's football team will play their opening match at the 33rd SEA Games against the Malaysian women's team on December 5th. Speaking before the match, coach Mai Duc Chung expressed respect for the opponent and emphasized that the entire team must focus on the game to achieve a good result.

At the 33rd SEA Games, the Vietnamese women's team was in Group B along with Myanmar, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The teams played a round-robin format to determine rankings, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals.

Coach Mai Duc Chung praised Malaysia's progress.

Speaking ahead of the opening match, head coach Mai Duc Chung said that the Vietnamese national team is undergoing a significant rejuvenation process and has had 1.5 months to prepare.

"Some older players are injured, so we're giving opportunities to many young faces. They are improving, and we're supporting them to become even more mature," coach Mai Duc Chung expressed.

The Vietnamese women's national team has finalized its roster for the 33rd SEA Games.

VHO - On the afternoon of December 1st, the Vietnamese women's national team announced the list of 23 players who will compete at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 33).

Assessing the group, coach Mai Duc Chung emphasized that all Southeast Asian women's football teams have made progress. Significant investment has narrowed the skill gap between teams considerably, and Group B is very balanced.

In terms of personnel, the Vietnamese women's team is missing Chương Thị Kiều, Dương Thị Vân, etc., but still maintains a spirit of unity and a consistent playing style.

“We don’t have individual stars, but we have a united team. Huynh Nhu remains an exemplary captain. When I returned to the Chonburi stadium, I remembered the moment she scored the goal that helped Vietnam win the AFF Cup six years ago. It’s a beautiful memory, but now we have to focus on the SEA Games.”

The Vietnamese girls are ready for their opening match.

Coach Mai Duc Chung highly regards all opponents: “I don’t consider Malaysia a weak team. They are improving quickly. We have to focus on each match and the ultimate goal remains reaching the final.”

Meanwhile, Malaysia women's national team coach Joel Cornelli said: “We are well-prepared, we played a friendly match against Bangladesh and showed progress. I am pleased with the current situation.”

The Vietnamese women's national team will hold their final training session on the afternoon of December 4th to finalize their tactics before their first match at the SEA Games 33 against Malaysia.

A victory on the opening day would be the perfect start for Coach Mai Duc Chung's team as they aim to defend their title in the regional tournament.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/hlv-mai-duc-chung-malaysia-khong-phai-la-doi-yeu-185748.html