The Vietnamese women's team failed to create a surprise against the defending champion, the US.
(Baonghean.vn) - With the strength of the defending champion, the US team did not let the Vietnamese team create any surprises when they won with a score of 3-0. The match took place at Eden Park Stadium - New Zealand in Group E of the 2023 Women's World Cup.
Participating in the 2023 Women's World Cup, the Vietnamese Women's Team is in Group E with the US, the Netherlands, and Portugal. This is considered a difficult group for coach Mai Duc Chung's students. Because this group includes both the defending champion US and runner-up Netherlands. Therefore, the most feasible goal that the Vietnamese Women's Team is aiming for is to be able to score goals and create a good impression at the 2023 World Cup, the first World Cup that the Vietnamese Women's Team will participate in.
In the opening match, coach Mai Duc Chung’s team had to face the defending champion, the US. This is a team with a level and class superior to the Vietnamese women’s team. And the fact that the girls in red shirts did not lose too much was a great success for Vietnamese women’s football.
To counter the opponent's strength, coach Mai Duc Chung arranged a 5-4-1 formation, with a rather low formation and mainly focused on the defensive front. In this match, Thai Thi Thao - originally from Do Luong (Nghe An) was arranged by the Coaching Board to play in the defensive midfielder position. Meanwhile, Huynh Nhu was the highest striker in the formation of the Vietnam Women's Team.
Despite having to compete in a faraway country, there were still quite a few Vietnamese fans who came to Eden Park - New Zealand to cheer on the golden girls.
However, with their superior level, as soon as the ball rolled, the US team completely dominated the match. The defending champion's attacks were at a high tempo, making it difficult for the Vietnamese defense to defend. In addition, with their advantage in physique, speed, and technique, the US team had no difficulty keeping Kim Thanh's goal in a constant state of alarm.
The fast, modern style of play gave the US team an early lead over Vietnam. The defending champions' opening goal came in the 14th minute. After receiving the ball from the middle, striker Alex Morgan skillfully backheeled the ball to Sophia Smith, who raced into the penalty area and shot low past goalkeeper Kim Thanh.
After the early goal, it seemed that the Vietnamese golden girls would collapse and concede more goals. However, with their strong will and never-give-up spirit, coach Mai Duc Chung's students were able to limit many diverse attacks from the US team.
It wasn’t until the final minutes of the first half that the defending champions doubled their lead. The goal came from a rebound from the American striker that found the net of Kim Thanh, but before that the linesman had raised his flag for offside. The referee then reviewed VAR and decided to award Smith’s goal.
In the second half, the Vietnamese women's team continued to play defensively, so it was not until the 78th minute of the match that the US team scored a third goal. Chuong Thi Kieu made a mistake when Smith stole the ball in the penalty area, then passed it inside for Horan to shoot hard, leaving goalkeeper Kim Thanh helpless.
In the final minutes of the match, the US team continued to attack the Vietnamese field. However, the final result of the match was still 3-0. Although they could not create a surprise against the defending champion, the Vietnamese Golden Girls showed their strong will and did not give up against an opponent who was considered to be superior in class.
On July 27, the Vietnamese women's team will enter the second match against Portugal.
