Thai Thi Thao: The pride of Nghe An football.
(Baonghean.vn) - In the Vietnamese women's national team's miraculous achievement of securing a ticket to the 2023 World Cup, the midfielder from Do Luong district (Nghe An province) played a significant role.
In the first two matches of the Vietnam Women's National Team at the 2022 Women's Asian Cup, against South Korea and Japan, Thai Thi Thao was not included in the squad by coach Mai Duc Chung. It is likely that the midfielder, born in 1995, had health problems. As is known, before arriving in India, a number of players from the Vietnam Women's National Team contracted Covid-19.
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| Thai Thi Thao (number 11) during the match against the Thailand women's national team. Photo: AFC |
Therefore, it wasn't until the 38th minute of the match between the Vietnam Women's National Team and the Myanmar Women's National Team that Thai Thi Thao was brought onto the field by coach Mai Duc Chung (replacing Duong Thi Van). At that time,Vietnam women's national teamThe Vietnamese women's team was trailing 1-0 to the Myanmar team, and their midfield wasn't performing effectively. This is why coach Mai Duc Chung had to bring on Thai Thi Thao earlier than expected.
Thai Thi Thao's presence on the field contributed to a brighter outlook for the Vietnamese women's team. This resulted in goals from Nguyen Thi Tuyet Dung and captain Huynh Nhu, securing a valuable 2-2 draw. With this result, Coach Mai Duc Chung's team advanced to the quarterfinals (as one of the two best third-placed teams in their respective groups).
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The joy of participating in the 2023 Women's World Cup for the members of the Vietnamese women's national team. Photo: Internet |
Since the match against the Myanmar women's team, the player wearing jersey number 11 has consistently been in the starting lineup of the Vietnam women's team. According to statistics, at the Women's Asian Cup 2022, Thai Thi Thao played a total of 4 matches for 286 minutes, contributing 1 goal (against the Thailand women's team) and 1 assist (for Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy to score against the Chinese Taipei women's team).
The impressive statistics above don't fully reflect Thai Thi Thao's excellence as a central midfielder. It's no coincidence that coach Mai Duc Chung has always considered the midfielder, who is about to turn 27, one of the most important pillars of the Vietnamese women's national team recently. And with her impressive performances in India, Thai Thi Thao has proven her class.
If she continues to maintain her current form, it's almost certain that Thai Thi Thao will join Coach Mai Duc Chung's team at the 2023 Women's World Cup. It's worth remembering that, to date, no player from Nghe An has appeared in the World Cup. Thai Thi Thao could very well be the first such case.
