Vietnam women's team vs. Australia U23: Overcoming obstacles

With what they have shown in Group B, U23 Australia is truly a formidable obstacle on the journey to the championship of the Vietnamese women's team.

Huynh Nhu and her teammates are expected to have a difficult match against U23 Australia - Photo: NGOC LE

At 8:00 p.m. tonight (August 16) at Lach Tray Stadium ( Hai Phong ), the Vietnamese women's team will compete with the Australian U23 team in the semi-finals of the 2025 Southeast Asian Women's Championship. The Australian U23 team defeated the defending champion Philippines in Group B and sent this team home early from the group stage.

Australia shows strength

That was the biggest mark that U23 Australia made in the journey to win second place in Group B to enter the semi-finals. Before that, U23 Australia had an unfavorable start when they lost 1-2 to the Myanmar women's team in the opening match. In the second match, U23 Australia defeated the Philippines with a single goal scored at the end of the first half and created an earthquake at Viet Tri Stadium.

That result indirectly made the Philippine women's team - one of the candidates for the championship this year - become the former champion. In the final round, U23 Australia showed its strength when it defeated Timor Leste 9-0, creating the match with the biggest score difference since the beginning of the tournament. Those were the signals sent from a real challenger to the Vietnamese women's team.

Despite their young age (only 19 to 21 years old), the Australian U23 squad has many physically strong players with equal playing skills in all three lines. On the attacking front, the Australian U23 squad has two notable players: midfielder Alana Jancevski and striker Holly Furphy. These are the two players who have scored the most goals so far, with 3 goals each after 3 matches.

Compared to the Vietnamese women's team, the Australian U23 team naturally has an advantage in one-on-one combat. This is something that coach Mai Duc Chung and his players need to keep in mind when preparing their tactics.

Coach Mai Duc Chung aims to surpass U23 Australia - Photo: TTO

Lach Tray support for homeowners

The Vietnamese women's team is not without its own advantages. Playing at home in Lach Tray under the cheers of thousands of enthusiastic spectators is certainly a great spiritual support for the whole team.

This is not the first time that Coach Mai Duc Chung’s players have played against a team with superior physical strength. With an average age of 27.5 and a core of many veteran players over 30 years old who have played in the Asian Cup and World Cup, we have enough experience to create an advantage against the opponent’s youth.

U23 Australia entered the semi-finals with an impressive but not perfect record. The proof is that they made a mistake and conceded a goal against the Myanmar women's team. If they create opportunities and take advantage of them, the Vietnamese women's team will get what they need: a goal.

The important thing is whether coach Mai Duc Chung's students know how to save or not. Because in many press conferences, Mr. Chung has complained many times about his students' finishing. However, efficiency is still what the Vietnamese women's team needs to prioritize, especially when placed in the context of playing a crucial match like the semi-finals.

The match against Thailand is an example. Instead of attacking like the first two matches of the group stage, coach Mai Duc Chung's team chose to keep a reasonable distance, then defend and counterattack and win by a minimum. That is also the potential scenario for tonight's match against U23 Australia.

The match between the Vietnam women's team and U23 Australia will take place at 8:00 p.m. on August 16 at Lach Tray Stadium and will be broadcast live onFPT Play.

What did they say before the match?

- Head coach of U23 Australia Joseph Palatsides: "We are very excited about the match against the Vietnamese women's team in the semi-finals. This is one of the strongest teams in the tournament, led by a talented coach. However, my students are improving with each match, they have a strong desire to win."

- Head coach of the Vietnamese women's team Mai Duc Chung: "U23 Australia has a very young squad and they are also preparing well for the national team. We hope to play well against U23 Australia. Hopefully fans will come to the stadium to support the Vietnamese women's team."

He said: "Playing at home is a big advantage for the Vietnamese women's team. We also have one more day off, and our opponents also have to travel from Phu Tho to Hai Phong. However, that is only a theoretical advantage, because the Australian U23 players are young, strong and adapt very quickly. Their first loss to Myanmar was unfortunate, but they played well in the following matches and won the right to enter the semi-finals. This will be a very difficult opponent, but the Vietnamese women's team has prepared carefully."

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NGOC LE

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tuyen-nu-viet-nam-dau-u23-uc-vuot-chuong-ngai-vat-20250816082545198.htm