Farewell gift for coach Mai Duc Chung

The Vietnamese women's national team will face Japan in the final match of the second round of the 2024 Olympic qualifiers. This will also be the last time coach Mai Duc Chung leads the Vietnamese national team before his contract expires.

Huynh Nhu and her teammates will find it difficult to win against such a strong opponent. Japan is the number one women's football team in Asia and ranks 8th in the FIFA rankings, while the Vietnamese team is ranked 34th. At the 19th Asian Games, Japan did not field their strongest team but still won the gold medal.

The Vietnamese women's team faces a major challenge in the form of Japan.

After the first two rounds, the Japanese team has a perfect record and leads Group C. The Vietnamese and Uzbekistani women's teams both have 3 points. Coach Mai Duc Chung's team is ahead due to a better goal difference.

However, the Vietnamese women's team has very little chance of advancing beyond the second round of the 2024 Paris Olympics qualifiers. The defeat against Uzbekistan puts Huynh Nhu and her teammates at a disadvantage. To maintain their second-place position in the group, the Vietnamese women's team must earn points against Japan. This is highly unlikely.

The difference in skill level between the two teams is too great. At the 19th Asian Games, the Japanese team fielded a second-string squad but easily defeated the Vietnamese team 7-0. In the 2024 Olympic qualifiers, they used their best team, making this challenge even more difficult.

Against a superior opponent, the Vietnamese team aims for the "best possible" result. The farewell gift for coach Mai Duc Chung will be a performance to the best of their ability, fueled by the determination of Huynh Nhu and her teammates.

Japan vs Vietnam's form

The Japanese women's national team has displayed impressive form from the 2023 World Cup to the present. They have only lost one match, which was against Sweden.

Following this tournament, the Japanese team played nine more matches, almost all of which were resounding victories. They scored a total of 56 goals, and the only match in which the Japanese women's team scored fewer than four goals was their recent 2-0 win against Uzbekistan.

Meanwhile, the Vietnamese women's national team has declined since the 2023 World Cup. Coach Mai Duc Chung's team was eliminated early in the 19th Asian Games, lost to Uzbekistan in their opening match of the second round of the 2024 Olympic qualifiers before winning against India 3-1.