Despite defeating Myanmar in the group stage, coach Mai Duc Chung believes the Vietnamese women's team will face significant difficulties when they meet them again in the final.
There were no surprises in the semi-final match between the Vietnamese women's team and host Cambodia. Huynh Nhu and her teammates secured a resounding 4-0 victory, advancing to the final where they will face Myanmar – who surprisingly defeated Thailand 4-2.
"The whole team is delighted to have reached the final. The Vietnamese women's team respects their opponents, and Cambodia has also made a lot of progress. We sweated to win. In this match, the team fulfilled the coaching staff's requirements, which was to win the match while preserving our strength," said coach Mai Duc Chung.
Regarding the final match against Myanmar, coach Mai Duc Chung expressed caution despite having defeated them in the group stage. He said: "The Vietnamese women's team and Myanmar met in the group stage. Now, in this rematch, things will be very difficult. I've been constantly monitoring the results of the other semi-final match. Myanmar was 2 goals down but then came back to win 4-2. In the final, whoever is luckier will win. Football is like fighting. We have to exploit the opponent's strengths and weaknesses to attack. Both teams know each other very well. I think we can't be complacent because of the victory in the group stage. We have to forget that match and focus completely on the final. The team's goal remains the same: to try our best in each match to achieve the final victory."
Meanwhile, striker Huynh Nhu confidently stated that she and her teammates would play to the best of their abilities and win the final match: "After a long time playing in Portugal, I've learned a lot, for example, I've become more confident in controlling the ball, which will help me perform better when I return to play for the national team. In the final, the whole team will try to win to bring joy to the fans."
Regarding the host team Cambodia, coach Gao Fulin said: “The players tried their best. We lost 0-4 but learned a lot. Before the match, we didn't think we would lose so badly and hoped for a draw. But after the match, everyone can see the gap between the two teams. The Vietnamese team is more technically skilled and experienced. Our players are still young. We know the Vietnamese women's team is very strong. The two teams are different in terms of level. Hopefully, in the future, Cambodian women's football can compete with Vietnam. We will try our best in the upcoming bronze medal match, try to play better against Thailand to bring victory home for our fans. Compared to before, the team has improved, and the players coordinate better. That's why we made it to the semi-finals.”
Text and photos: VIET AN (from Cambodia)
Source
Comment (0)