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.
Vietnamese players who were in good form following the COVID-19 crisis dominated the game at the beginning.
Huynh Nhu opened the score for Vietnam on 19 minutes and before her teammate Nhu Thao headed the ball back five minutes later, extending Vietnam’s lead.
In the second half, coach Mai Duc Chung’s players continued to bring to bear pressure on their Thai opponents who are being ravaged by the COVID-19 outbreak.
It’s Huynh Nhu again who hammered home another goal for Vietnam but she was refused by the referee who found the Vietnamese striker was in the off-side position through the VAR technology.
Coach Chung told his players to slow down the pace and gradually substituted several key players for the coming play-off match against Taiwan (China).
The move helped the Thai team to hold the ball and produce counterattacks, but they did not present a significant threat to goalkeeper Tran Thi Kim Thanh's goal.
The 2-0 win over Thailand bolstered Vietnam’s confidence ahead of their last play-off clash with Taiwan on February 6.
A win over Taiwan will send Vietnamese girls to the World Cup finals for the first time.
