Asian Cup qualifiers, Vietnam women 7-0 Maldives: Rain of goals in opening match

Pre-match comments

With a world ranking of 163, the Maldives women's team is the lowest ranked of the four teams in Group E of the 2026 Asian Cup qualifiers. The South Asian opponent is 126 places below Vietnam, with a huge gap in skill level.

The difference is too big

Maldives has never qualified for the Asian Cup or World Cup. In the two rare times they participated in the ASIAD (2014 and 2018), the South Asian representative lost in the group stage. In particular, in the 2014 ASIAD, Maldives conceded 38 goals in 3 matches. The Maldives women's team lost 0-11 to Nepal, 0-13 to Bhutan or 0-14 to India. This is a young team, lacking experience and without specific tactical strategies. That said, the Vietnamese women's team is likely to have an easy opening match at 7 p.m. today at Viet Tri Stadium.

Highlights of Vietnam women's team 7-0 Maldives: Resounding opening match | Asian Cup qualifiers

- Ảnh 1. — Vietnam women's team opens Asian Cup qualifying round, meets Maldives

In history, the Vietnamese women's team has repeatedly "poured" goals into the net of weaker teams, such as the victory over the Syrian women's team (11-0), Iran (6-1) in 2017, 10-0 over the Singapore women's team in 2018, or 8-0 over the Indonesian women's team in 2019. Coach Mai Duc Chung still has a team of experienced players with Huynh Nhu, Pham Hai Yen, Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy, Duong Thi Van... to mold a team with great fighting spirit.

Facing the opponent rated lowest in the group, the Vietnamese women's team will aim for two goals: a big win to create an advantage in the competition for goal difference and give opportunities to new players.

Waiting for the transfer

The moment Ngoc Minh Chuyen accelerated and accurately scored against the Werder Bremen women's team in the friendly match on May 16, the future generation of the Vietnamese women's team was revealed. Minh Chuyen grew up from the U.20 Vietnamese women's generation, molded in the Japanese style of coach Akira Ijiri. The female striker born in 2004 has all the qualities such as speed, technique and youthful boldness to become the next pioneer, ready to replace talented seniors such as Hai Yen and Huynh Nhu.

However, not all potential players quickly assert their position like Minh Chuyen. Among the 3 faces that coach Mai Duc Chung eliminated from the Vietnamese women's team right before the Asian Cup qualifiers, unfortunately there were 2 young factors such as Nguyen Hoang Nam Mi (2003) and Ho Thi Thanh Thao (2004). Among them, Thanh Thao was called up many times in the past year, but rarely stayed in the final list.

Coach Mai Duc Chung's point of view is very clear. He wants to rejuvenate the team, but the young players themselves must assert their position. There will be no favoritism. To become pillars, the young elements of the Vietnamese women's team must seize opportunities from the most suitable matches. The match with Maldives will see the young generation step into the light. Let's take advantage of the launching pad in Viet Tri to prove our ability and bring a new breeze to Vietnamese women's football in this important transitional period.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/vong-loai-asian-cup-nu-viet-nam-0-0-maldives-chien-thang-dam-tran-ra-quan-185250629173359221.htm