Vietnamese women make history as they cruise to 2023 World Cup

VOV.VN - Vietnam overwhelmed Taipei (China) 2-1 in a playoff match as part of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in India on February 6, earning a 2022 FIFA Women’s World Cup berth for the first time.

They also stunned Thailand 2-0 in another playoff match in India on February 2.

Vietnamese women took advantage of their physical strength to dominate the game at the beginning.

From Tuyet Dung’s precise corner kick, Chuong Thi Kieu hit a very dangerous close-range header, putting Vietnam ahead in the seventh minute.

After the interval, Chinese Taipei suddenly got an equalizer when Su Yu-Hsuan overcame Chuong Thi Kieu and then slotted a fine finish into the far corner.

But it took Vietnam only five minutes to maintain their lead. In the 56th minute, Bich Thuy received the ball from Thai Thi Thao’s pass and decisively hammered home from her gorgeous left foot.

Chinese Taipei once again came up with lightning attacks in an attempt to seek an equalizer. Goalkeeper Kim Thanh made an excellent save from Yu-hsuan’s header, and Vietnamese defenders played hard to preserve the final score.

Coach Mai Duc Chung and the Vietnamese girls burst with joy after the final whistle of the referee.

On hearing about the news, State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh extended messages of congratulation to Coach Mai Duc Chung and the Vietnamese women’s team.

The State President proposed the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and relevant agencies consider rewarding the team for reaping the special achievement. He also asked relevant agencies to pay more attention to and introduce timely policies to develop women’s football in Vietnam.

As far as VOV.VN learns the national women’s team were rewarded with VND9.5 billion, including VND5 billion from the Vietnam Football Federation and VND4.5 billion from businesses. 

The team’s victory also grabbed international headlines. Major India websites such as outlookindia.com and sportstar.thehindu.com noted the victory was a memorable event in the difficult journey of the Vietnamese women's football team when some members of the team had contracted COVID-19 following their training trip in Spain. In addition, they also fell into the group of death at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, playing against Japan, the Republic of Korea and Myanmar.

FIFA also stated Vietnamese female players had an excellent match to win a ticket to the 2023 Women’s World Cup to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. In the Road to FIFA World Cup 2023 programme, Captain Huynh Nhu attributed the victory to the team’s aggregate strength. She expected spectators would continue to support the team at the coming global competition.  

The team are scheduled to leave India for Vietnam on February 10.

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VOV.VN - The door to World Cup finals in Australia and New Zealand in 2023 is wide open for Vietnamese women after they stunned their Thai opponents in a play-off match on February 2.

World Cup door wide open for Vietnamese women

World Cup door wide open for Vietnamese women

VOV.VN - The door to World Cup finals in Australia and New Zealand in 2023 is wide open for Vietnamese women after they stunned their Thai opponents in a play-off match on February 2.