Looking back at the less-than-expected journey of the Vietnamese women's football team at the 2026 Asian Cup finals, it's clear that while our girls still played with determination, many players couldn't maintain their best form. The Vietnamese women's team narrowly defeated India with a decisive goal in injury time, despite having the upper hand, but their victory wasn't entirely convincing. The loss to Chinese Taipei was a "well-deserved" defeat, because from the moment the opponent scored the opening goal, we showed no ability to equalize, let alone come back. In both of these matches, a lack of physical fitness was the primary reason why the Vietnamese girls faced so many difficulties.
The defeat against the Japanese women's team was a different story – a complete failure in terms of technique, tactics, speed, stamina, and tackling ability. It was no surprise that they lost so heavily to Japan – Asia's number one women's football team and former world champions – but what unfolded on the field showed a huge gap in skill level between the two teams.
The Vietnamese women's national football team entered the 2026 Asian Cup with a squad that many commentators considered to be undergoing a "youthful rejuvenation." In reality, this squad has the highest average age in the tournament, around 28-29 years old. Many key players such as Kim Thanh, Hai Yen, Huynh Nhu, Bich Thuy, Duong Thi Van, Thai Thi Thao, Khong Thi Hang... are over 30 years old, and some of them shouldn't have been called up at all due to their noticeably declining form and fitness.
What happened at the 2026 Asian Cup finals shows that the Vietnamese women's football team needs a more effective "renewal," boldly giving opportunities to young players in regional tournaments, thereby gradually building a young, physically strong team that still has enough experience to compete on the continental stage.
Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/thay-mau-de-khong-tut-hau-739096.html
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