Coach Mai Duc Chung: Vietnam women's team will cause a surprise in the match against New Zealand

In an interview with FIFA, coach Mai Duc Chung said: "I have my own plan on how to use people. Maybe in the friendly match against New Zealand, I will have some surprises."

The captain of the Vietnamese women's team revealed that the Vietnamese women's team plays at a high speed and plays with dedication for the audience. In recent days, the players have started to get used to the high intensity training and know how to overcome the harsh weather.

New Zealand is a great test for the Vietnamese women's team, helping Thanh Nha and her teammates gain more experience before the World Cup. Of course, the Vietnamese girls also receive the highest respect from their opponents. The progress of Vietnamese women's football over the past year has brought a big challenge to the ambition of the host of the 2023 World Cup.

Although it was just a friendly match, the match between host New Zealand and the Vietnamese women's team was highly anticipated. All 20,000 tickets at McLeen Park were sold out, showing the special interest of New Zealand fans.

This is also an opportunity for Vietnamese people living in New Zealand to come to the field to cheer on coach Mai Duc Chung and his team, showing their national spirit and pride as their team participates in the World Cup for the first time.

For their part, coach Mai Duc Chung and his players have prepared carefully for the match. Despite having to travel for nearly a day with 3 flights, right after arriving in Napier city, Huynh Nhu and her teammates only rested for a few hours before going to the training ground.

Meanwhile, speaking before the friendly match with the Vietnamese women's team, coach Jitka Klimkova - New Zealand women's team said: "We are used to playing in this weather so this is an advantage.

"It's hard to play when it's cold and wet, but we're focusing on the things we can control. The weather is something we can't control. The New Zealand women's team play to the best of their ability, and if the weather helps, that's great."

Evaluating the opponent, coach Jitka Klimkova praised the Vietnamese women's team for playing good defensive counter-attacks: "They only lost 1-2 to the German women's team. I look forward to the Vietnamese women's team's defensive counter-attacks in tomorrow's match. The New Zealand women's team must be really aware of their opponent's playing style."

“We need to create many different options, want to spend as much time as possible to control the ball, coordinate and create opportunities. I believe, New Zealand will score against the Vietnamese women's team," coach Jitka Klimkova emphasized.

Meanwhile, captain Ali Riley emphasized: "The weather is just one of the issues that we are concerned about. If you look at the attitude of the training today, you can see that the New Zealand women's team ensures all preparations for the friendly match with the Vietnamese women's team. The players are all soaked after the heavy rain but everyone is smiling.

We have very serious and disciplined preparations and are ready for the opening match of the 2023 World Cup on July 20."

The friendly match between Vietnam women's team and New Zealand will take place at 12:30 on July 10.