Coach Mai Duc Chung: 'The weather in Hamilton is cold, but the hearts of Vietnamese female players are very warm'
(Baonghean.vn) - Sharing at the press conference before the match against the Portuguese Women's Team organized by FIFA, Coach Mai Duc Chung said that he and his students are ready for tomorrow's match.
This afternoon (July 26), coach Mai Duc Chung and striker Huynh Nhu attended the press conference before the match against the Portuguese Women's Team organized by FIFA.
Speaking about the second match of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup finals, coach Mai Duc Chung said: “Tomorrow is the second match between the Vietnam and Portugal teams. Both teams lost their first matches, so I think this match will be very interesting for both teams. On the FIFA rankings, Portugal is above us. I predict that the Portuguese team will attack, while the Vietnamese team will defend tightly and counterattack quickly…”.
Coach Mai Duc Chung commented: “In terms of stature and strength, we are not as good as Portugal. They often play long balls, high balls, and attack the opponent's flanks. Luckily for us, the Portuguese Women's Team will not have the service of Famita Pinto due to injury. She is a quality face of the Portuguese Women's Team.”
Mr. Mai Duc Chung continued: “Everyone wants to win. I know Portugal will cause many difficulties for the Vietnamese team, but the team has also practiced tight defense and quick counterattacks. If we steal the ball from home, the team will quickly counterattack the opponent with 2-3 passes. If we win, it will be great for the Vietnamese women's team.
We Vietnamese have a saying: “A day of travel teaches a lot of knowledge”. Recently, we played against Spain, New Zealand, Germany and the US. Through those matches, we became more confident, understood how to play and how to handle big opponents. We learned a lot!”
Regarding the fact that the weather in Hamilton is much colder than in Auckland (New Zealand), coach Mai Duc Chung said: “We have prepared plans such as wearing warm clothes during activities and drinking ginger tea before the match. The weather in Hamilton is cold at the moment, but the hearts of the Vietnamese female players are very warm!” He sent a message to the fans: “Please cheer for the Vietnamese Women’s Team tomorrow!”
Answering the reporter's question about whether the Philippines' victory would be a motivation or pressure for the Vietnam Women's Team, head coach Mai Duc Chung shared: "The Philippines Women's Team was very lucky to win against the host team, but there is such luck in football! The Philippines Women's Team's victory will be a pressure for us. However, we do not think that if the Philippines Women's Team wins, we must win too! Because no one can predict. Not to mention, the Philippines' squad has many naturalized players, while the Vietnam Women's Team is only Vietnamese."
The match between Vietnam Women's Team and Portugal will take place at 2:30 p.m. on July 27.
