Ho Chi Minh City determined to contribute, Melbourne City aiming for victory

Coach Nguyen Hong Pham and foreign player Goodwill of Ho Chi Minh City women's club shared at the press conference. (Photo: VFF)

Coach Nguyen Hong Pham congratulated Melbourne City FC on their early qualification to the next round, and assessed that this is a team with even physical strength, good physique and resilient playing style.

He said that the Ho Chi Minh City women's club had secured a place in the quarter-finals, however, the whole team always respected all opponents, and had carefully studied Melbourne's tactical characteristics to come up with effective countermeasures.

“We are looking forward to a good and dedicated match. This is also an opportunity for the players to gain experience, especially those preparing for the SEA Games,” coach Nguyen Hong Pham emphasized.

He said the team will make personnel adjustments to suit the match's development; young players may be given the opportunity to play. Two players, Huynh Nhu and Thuy Trang, are recovering well and are likely to be in good physical condition on match day.

Ho Chi Minh City's player representative - foreign player Goodwill said that the team still maintains the three-defender tactical system with close connection between the lines. This is the foundation that has been trained throughout the past time.

“We respect Melbourne, a strong and talented team. But the whole team is united, supportive and believes in each other. We will fight for the team,” Goodwill said.

She expressed her joy at returning to Vietnam to compete and acknowledged the support from her teammates: “The team has many national players, giving me a special feeling. I am very happy to receive trust and favorable conditions to contribute.”

On the other hand, Melbourne City FC coach Michael Matricciani congratulated Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club for reaching the quarterfinals and said that this would be an exciting match. According to him, Melbourne has closely followed the Vietnamese representative from the group stage as well as previous tournaments to build a suitable tactical plan for the confrontation.

“We are going into the match with the goal of winning and will take the field with the strongest lineup. Ho Chi Minh City is a well-organized team and this will be a quality challenge for us,” said Mr. Matricciani, expecting the two teams to bring a beautiful match to the audience in the stadium and television viewers.

Meanwhile, Melbourne City player Leticia McKenna expressed satisfaction with the team's performance in the group stage, with 12 goals scored and no goals conceded. "Our defense is as effective as our attack. That gives the whole team confidence going into tomorrow's match," she said.

McKenna thanks the coaching staff for the positive training environment: “Working with the coach helps me absorb a lot of new knowledge. I always feel comfortable exchanging and receiving support to develop myself.”

HUY AN

Source: https://nhandan.vn/thanh-pho-ho-chi-minh-quyet-tam-cong-hien-melbourne-city-huong-toi-chien-thang-post924049.html