Coach Mai Duc Chung talks about defeat, Australian coach once thought of losing

(NLDO) - The Vietnamese women's team lost to U23 Australia in the semi-finals, forcing coach Mai Duc Chung and his team to meet Thailand in the third-place match of the 2025 ASEAN Women's Cup.

Coach Mai Duc Chung expressed after the 1-2 defeat to U23 Australia in the semi-finals on the night of August 16: "On behalf of the Vietnamese women's team, I would like to thank the fans nationwide, especially Hai Phong fans, who came to cheer, creating an exciting and enthusiastic match. I feel like I have never had an atmosphere like today. It has been a long time since we have received such support, helping the team to try their best in the second half."

Aiming for the Bronze medal, the head coach of the Vietnamese women's team said: "We must try our best in the Bronze medal match. We did not do well in this semi-final, we must do really well in the Bronze medal match. We understand Thailand, so we need to play tight and enter the game well to win."

The only goal scorer for Vietnam, Bich Thuy, shared: "I would like to thank the fans for encouraging the players. I am very sad right now because I played a bad match.

Before the match, Mr. Chung mentioned a lot about Australia's strengths, but we did not start well. Personally, I will regain my spirit for the final match to win the bronze medal."

Meanwhile, U23 Australia coach Joseph Palatsides commented that today's match was great as they had good control, creating many opportunities despite being blocked by Vietnamese defenders.

"I thought about the situation being reversed. Anything can happen in football, so I asked my players to cool down the game to maintain the momentum. The Vietnamese team played very well and strongly," Mr. Joseph added.

In the third-place match, the Vietnamese women's team will meet Thailand at 4:30 p.m. on August 19. The final match will take place at 7:30 p.m. the same day, between Myanmar and U23 Australia.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/hlv-mai-duc-chung-noi-ve-that-bai-hlv-uc-tung-nghi-thua-nguoc-196250816225756169.htm