Vietnam women's team plays farewell match for coach Mai Duc Chung

Ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympic qualifiers, coach Mai Duc Chung publicly announced that this will be the last tournament he will lead the Vietnamese women's team. This is a decision that the coach has planned for a long time and it is not the first time he has mentioned his plan. The match against the Japanese women's team will be the last match he will work as head coach of the Vietnamese women's team.

The challenge is too difficult

The Vietnamese women's team, with many players who have worked with coach Mai Duc Chung since they were young, really want to say a beautiful farewell to their teacher. However, ahead of them will be the Japanese women's team - the opponent who just defeated Huynh Nhu and her teammates 7-0 in the group stage of ASIAD 19.

Even the force that the Japanese women's team brought to Uzbekistan is considered stronger than at the 19th ASIAD. The stars who "made waves" at the 2023 Women's World Cup such as Hinata Miyazawa, Kumaga, Endo, Minami, Shimizu, Tanaka Mina, Miyano,... were all summoned.

No one wants to lose on the day of saying goodbye to a long journey, which is mostly full of glory. But what can coach Mai Duc Chung do? In football, there are still gaps that are almost impossible to fill in a month, many months or even many years. That is the story of Vietnamese women's football when compared to Japanese women's football.

The Vietnamese women's team reached its peak with a ticket to the 2023 Women's World Cup. But in each specific match against the continent's top opponents, the Vietnamese women's team has very little chance of creating a surprise.

Therefore, the most practical goal for the girls will be the most emotional performance, the most "beautiful" score possible or one or two goals to dedicate to their coach. Victory or a draw is an impossible and unrealistic mission for the Vietnamese women's team.

There won't be many people criticizing coach Mai Duc Chung and his team, because going such a long way is already a success for Vietnamese women's football.

The fatigue of the warrior

“I can't do it forever. It's the inevitable course of life, it's time for me to rest. I've decided that after my contract ends this year, I'll rest.", Coach Mai Duc Chung answered the press during a training session of the Vietnamese women's team.

Coach Mai Duc Chung has devoted his health, passion, intelligence and even his retirement time to Vietnamese women's football for many years. At 72 years old - at the "thất thập" of life, Coach Mai Duc Chung is not always in the best health condition.

It must be said that Mr. Chung possesses more strength and clarity than others to be able to withstand the pressure of being a football coach, and also being the head coach of the national women's football team.

Don’t forget the heartbreaking confessions of Coach Mai Duc Chung after the 32nd SEA Games. He had to take sleeping pills after many matches of the Vietnamese women’s team. That was certainly not an action to protect his health, although Mr. Chung did not care about himself.

Mr. Chung loves fishing, which is the greatest pleasure of old age. But when the bus of the Vietnamese women's team passed many large lakes in New Zealand, this strategist could only watch from afar and hold back his emotions.

After returning from Uzbekistan, Coach Mai Duc Chung will continue his work for another 2 months, then rest. But those 2 months will not have any matches. Waiting for Coach Mai Duc Chung will be meals with his wife, the joy of gathering with his children and grandchildren, and fishing in the chilly weather of Hanoi...