Coach Mai Duc Chung: Spirit cannot make up for expertise

At Forsyth Barr Stadium (Dunedin city), Vietnam was outclassed by the Netherlands. Throughout the match, the team controlled the ball 27% of the time, and had five shots - nearly nine times less than the defending runner-up. If the Netherlands' strikers had taken advantage of the situation better, or if goalkeeper Tran Thi Kim Thanh and her replacement in the second half, Khong Thi Hang, had not been excellent, Vietnam's net could have been raised more. "Vietnam's level cannot be compared to the Netherlands', it is truly helpless," Mr. Chung commented. "The players played with high fighting spirit but could not cover up their expertise, so losing was also deserved."

The Hanoi coach added that the team had been preparing for the World Cup for more than a year, and that the players had improved, but they still had to work harder to close the gap with the world's top teams. He also expressed his gratitude to the fans who had supported them, whether by coming to the stadium or watching on television.

Coach Mai Duc Chung in the 0-7 loss to the Netherlands at Forsyth Bar Stadium, Dunedin, New Zealand on August 1.

For its first World Cup appearance, Vietnam was drawn into the Group of Death, which included defending champion the United States and runner-up the Netherlands. Therefore, the team's goal was simply to compete, experience the atmosphere of world-class competition, and hopefully score a goal.

In the opening match, Vietnam impressed with their resilient and disciplined play and only lost 0-3 to the US. In the match against Portugal, despite conceding an early goal, the team tried to hold on and accepted a 0-2 defeat. But in the final match, coach Mai Duc Chung's team collapsed, suffering the biggest defeat since the beginning of the World Cup. Asked about this result, Mr. Chung said: "With Vietnam's level, when facing the Netherlands, such a defeat is normal. We are very comfortable, not worried at all because we tried our best. I was even afraid of a heavier defeat."

The highlight of Vietnam's match was probably the limited number of goals conceded in the second half, after conceding five times in the first half. Mr. Chung revealed that during the break, he reminded the players about some issues, such as the defense not actively following the players, not being flexible in changing positions... and at the same time asked his students to be calm, confident in holding the ball and more determined.

In Vietnam's squad, there are two players who have not played a single minute throughout the tournament: defender Tran Thi Thuy Nga and midfielder Tran Thi Thuy Trang. Coach Mai Duc Chung said that he also wanted to create conditions for them to experience, but could not because of professional calculations. "When I went to the FIFA meeting, I proposed to change six players per match. Some teams also wanted that, because it is practical for women's football, especially low-level teams like Vietnam. But it was not accepted. Therefore, we have to calculate and change personnel appropriately. Thuy Trang is very active in training, eager, but physically weak and old. I have to be careful, to avoid the risk of losing people. In this match, I arranged the healthy players to play first, then the reserve players to enter the field as a worthy reward for each person."

Although the set goal was not achieved, this generation of female players is considered to have laid the foundation for the Vietnamese national team to approach the World Cup. Mr. Chung hopes that his male colleagues can follow in their footsteps, especially when FIFA increases the number of teams participating in the 2026 World Cup from 32 to 48. He also hopes that the female team will inspire young players to strive to practice and improve in many aspects such as height and competition from school level to professional tournaments.

Commenting on the team that will win the World Cup this time, he said: "Hopefully it will be the Netherlands or the US, to show that we deserved to lose to these opponents."

According to the plan, the team will return home on August 3. A week later, Mr. Chung and his team will gather again to prepare for the ASIAD taking place in Hangzhou (China) as well as the second qualifying round for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The 73-year-old strategist refused to answer about his own plans after his current contract with the Vietnam Football Federation expires on December 31, but affirmed that he is ready to support the team if invited to attend the next World Cup.

According to VnExpress