Try your best, hold your head high and say goodbye to the World Cup

"Whether you win or lose, the important thing is that you maintain the spirit and momentum of the Vietnamese women's team," coach Mai Duc Chung said at a press conference before the match between the Vietnamese women's team and the Netherlands.

Forsyth Barr Stadium (Dunedin, New Zealand) is the stage for the final performance of the Vietnamese women's team at the 2023 World Cup. The match against the Netherlands at 2:00 p.m. today (August 1) is not a meaningless formality for coach Mai Duc Chung and his team.

For Huynh Nhu and her teammates, each time they play in the world's biggest arena is a precious opportunity that no one knows when it will appear again.

Vietnam Women's Team 0-2 Portugal

Appearing for the first time in a major tournament, falling into the “group of death”, the Vietnamese women’s team still left positive professional impressions. Huynh Nhu and her teammates lost with an acceptable score against the US, and had some bold moments against Portugal. The number of 5 goals conceded after 2 matches is not bad in such a difficult group, even better than many other teams’ previous debuts.

However, those were still failures. No mark was enough to change that harsh reality. The Vietnam team was still a rookie at the World Cup, still did not create any surprises and still left the tournament early as a natural thing. The last thing to do was a final performance, a farewell, maybe see you again but maybe not.

Huynh Nhu and some veteran faces in the Vietnamese women's team will find it difficult to attend the World Cup for the second time as players.

Coach Mai Duc Chung and many veteran members are unlikely to appear at the World Cup if the Vietnamese women's team sets foot in this arena for the second time. The match with the Netherlands is likely to be the last chance for Huynh Nhu, Tuyet Dung, Thuy Trang to compete in the World Cup... The youngest of these is already 30 years old and in fact, only Huynh Nhu is guaranteed a starting position in the Vietnamese women's team.

The Vietnamese women's team wants and should have a memorable farewell.

Of the eight teams that made their debut at the 2023 Women's World Cup, four have won. Regional rivals the Philippines also pulled off a shock victory over hosts New Zealand, enough to overshadow their own subsequent 0-6 defeat.

Of course, it would be unrealistic to demand that Huynh Nhu and her teammates beat the world runner-up, the Netherlands. There are many ways to leave an impression, to force others to mention the name Vietnam or simply to let the team and fans engrave this match in their memories.

"The Vietnamese women's team will not give up," coach Mai Duc Chung affirmed. What fans want to see is that the Vietnamese women's team will not give up and who knows, maybe a goal will appear. Luck comes to those who deserve it and the fighting spirit of the Vietnamese women's team is a necessary condition.

Quynh Phuong

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