Returning quietly, coach Mai Duc Chung remains proud of his players.

Concluding their journey at the 33rd SEA Games, the Vietnamese women's football team was split into two groups on their return flight; one group landed at Tan Son Nhat Airport (Ho Chi Minh City), while the other arrived at Noi Bai Airport ( Hanoi ) on December 18th.

At Noi Bai International Airport, coach Mai Duc Chung and his team were presented with bouquets of flowers by representatives of the Vietnam Football Federation, welcoming the entire team back after their competition trip.

Earlier, at 6 PM, the plane carrying the team landed at Noi Bai Airport. After landing, the entire team spent a considerable amount of time completing immigration procedures and collecting their luggage before appearing in the arrival hall. Unlike previous return trips, this trip back home for the women's football team was quite quiet, following their heartbreaking defeat against the Philippines.

The Vietnamese women's football team concluded their journey at the 33rd SEA Games with a final match held in Chonburi (Thailand). After 90 minutes of regulation time and extra time without a winner, the match went to a tense penalty shootout. There, the Vietnamese women's team lost 5-6, missing out on the gold medal.

Coach Mai Duc Chung shared his regret that the team missed out on the gold medal under such unfortunate circumstances. However, upon landing at the airport and receiving the attention, encouragement, and congratulations from numerous fans, he felt happy and somewhat relieved of his disappointment.

The veteran coach expressed his pride in the players' tenacious fighting spirit, who persevered for 120 minutes.

Having arrived at the airport about two hours before the women's team landed, Mr. Do Viet Duc (Thuong Tin district, Hanoi) said this wasn't the first time he'd been to the airport to welcome the team back home. For overseas competitions where he couldn't be in the stands to cheer them on, Mr. Duc always makes time to go to the airport to greet and encourage the players.

Sharing his thoughts here, Mr. Duc expressed: "In sports, there are always wins and losses. I always appreciate the fighting spirit of the players, because they always take to the field with all their effort, dedicating themselves to delivering beautiful matches for the fans."

Some fans took souvenir photos with coach Mai Duc Chung. Afterwards, he quickly returned to his car.

At the airport, the female players said goodbye to each other as some members traveled by private car to return to their hometowns.

Afterwards, the entire team was transported back in a large bus, and the players will have about 10 days of rest locally before returning to the club to train and prepare for friendly matches in China and then the Asian Cup finals in March.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/tro-ve-trong-lang-le-hlv-mai-duc-chung-van-tu-hao-ve-cac-hoc-tro-20251218201011120.htm