Pressing on the momentum

VHO - The Vietnamese women's football team has successfully achieved the initial goal set by the coaching staff, which is to advance from the group stage of the 2025 Southeast Asian Women's Football Championship with a perfect 9 points after 3 wins, scoring 14 goals and conceding none.

With consistent form and high morale, the Vietnamese women's team is determined to achieve a good result in the semi-finals.

"The Diamond Girls" not only have the home advantage but are also in excellent form, ready to face the next challenge in their journey to keep the championship trophy in Vietnam.

The courage to speak up

In Group A, Coach Mai Duc Chung's team competed against Cambodia, Indonesia, and Thailand in a round-robin format to determine the top two teams for the semi-finals. After the first two matches, the Vietnamese women's team secured victories of 6-0 and 7-0 against Cambodia and Indonesia respectively.

However, coach Mai Duc Chung and his team faced considerable pressure, finishing second and needing to win against Thailand to secure first place in the group. Despite the difficulties and what seemed like a tough match, Huynh Nhu and her teammates managed to achieve this much more easily thanks to their experience and composure as a team that had previously participated in the World Cup.

The 1-0 scoreline doesn't fully reflect the superiority of the Vietnamese women's team over the Thais. Facing the opponent's youthful energy and determination, the Vietnamese girls demonstrated experience and composure, pressing effectively and forcing their opponents to abandon their short-passing game and switch to long balls.

Throughout the match, the Thai women's team failed to create any truly dangerous opportunities in front of Kim Thanh's goal; their attacking moves were easily neutralized by the home team's defense.

Conversely, the Vietnamese women's team played coherently, coordinated well, and controlled the game effectively. Despite the absence of Duong Thi Van due to injury, the midfield did an excellent job controlling the tempo and maintaining appropriate spacing to dominate the match.

The Vietnamese women's team not only created attacking opportunities (one of which was converted by Thu Thảo in the 36th minute), but when needed, they controlled the game, leaving their opponents starved of the ball.

In the match against Thailand, coach Mai Duc Chung used his personnel very wisely. Unlike the two previous matches against Cambodia and Indonesia, coach Mai Duc Chung fielded two-thirds of the team with experienced key players, including captain Huynh Nhu starting for the first time. It was Huynh Nhu who made a brilliant dribble down the right wing to set up Thu Thao for the only goal.

Midway through the second half, coach Mai Duc Chung replaced Huynh Nhu with Hai Yen, and simultaneously brought in two "speedsters," Thanh Nha and Van Su, on the wings. This change helped the Vietnamese women's team maintain pressure on their opponents; the Thai team wanted to attack but couldn't push forward against the speed of Thanh Nha and Van Su on the wings.

Not only did they secure 3 points, but the victory against Thailand showcased the best of the Vietnamese women's national team. This could be considered the most lopsided match (in terms of gameplay) between the two teams in nearly a decade at regional competitions. With their current form, the "Diamond Girls" are expected to equal Thailand's record of 4 Southeast Asian championships at this year's tournament.

High-dose reagent

After an impressive performance in the group stage, the Vietnamese women's team will face a real challenge in the semi-final, taking place tomorrow evening, August 16th, against the Australian women's team (second in Group B). The 23 players of the Australian women's team who came to Vietnam this time are mostly young faces.

This includes several players who participated in the 2024 U20 Women's World Cup, such as Holly Furphy, Naomi Chinnama, and Sofia Sakalis. In addition, coach Joe Palatsides still has the services of several players currently playing for top clubs in the Australian National League, such as Isabel Gomez, Chloe Lincoln, and Amy Chessari.

With a well-balanced squad across all three lines, coach Joe Palatsides affirmed that the team is pursuing a football philosophy similar to that of the national team. “The tournament is not only an opportunity for our young players to adapt to a new philosophy and playing style, but also a chance for them to compete in an international football environment against top teams in the region, to improve further in the future,” coach Joe Palatsides shared.

Despite fielding a young team, the Australian youth players, coming from a developed footballing nation, are considered top contenders for the championship. In the group stage, the Australian women's team had a poor start, losing 1-2 to Myanmar.

But once they started to adapt and find their rhythm, coach Joe Palatsides's players showed their strength by defeating defending champions Philippines 1-0 and Timor Leste 9-0. Like their senior counterparts in the national team, the young Australian players possess good physique and stamina, play at a fast pace, and utilize many attacking options involving long balls.

However, the Australian women's team will be at a physical disadvantage compared to the Vietnamese women's team. In the group stage, the "Land of the Kangaroos" team had to play 3 matches in 7 days against the Philippines, Myanmar, and Timor Leste, while the host team only had to do this against Thailand. Furthermore, the Australian women's team had one less day of rest than the host team.

These factors, along with home advantage, the support of the home crowd, and favorable weather conditions, give the Vietnamese women's team a significant edge in tomorrow night's match. It will undoubtedly be a tough game, but Huỳnh Như and her teammates will capitalize on their advantages, coupled with thorough preparation, unity, and determination to secure a victory.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/thua-thang-xong-len-161167.html