Football

 

HCM CITY — Vietnamese players set a record by beating Northern Mariana Islands 20-0 in a Group D match of the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers on October 8 in HCM City.

The host side needed only a minute to open the scoring with a through ball from Nguyễn Quỳnh Lam to striker Trương Khánh Chi, who made it over goalkeeper Jacqueline Cepeda. Lam then doubled their tally from close range just two minutes later.

Chi struck again in the 12th minute from a tight angle, with Phan Thị Thu Phương making it 4-0 from range via a free kick.

With a smart assist from Lam, Chi completed a hat trick with a simple finish in the 18th minute.

Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Anh added Việt Nam’s sixth in the 21st minute, and Lam secured her second five minutes later.

Trương Yến Linh also found the back of the net in the 44th minute, before Đỗ Thị Hà Vi netted the ninth in first half stoppage time.

Chi showed her skills again by scoring her fourth goal just after the restart. Minutes later, Anh and Nhi got their second goals before the game was interrupted by bad weather.

 

Further goals were scored by Chi, Lam, Phương, Vi, Nguyễn Thị Thủy and Hà My to complete the record-breaking win, marking the biggest goal differential in Việt Nam's history.

It was the second win for Việt Nam in the qualifier, after they beat Palestine 6-0.

After the two victories, Việt Nam are on top of the table with the maximum six points. They are followed by Kyrgyzstan, who also have six points with a lower goal differential.

Coach Okiyama Masahiko said he was pleased that his players successfully completed the task set prior to the game.

“We won with 20 targeted goals. Why that number? Because in the past, the national women's team beat Maldives 16-0 in the Asian championship qualification in 2022. And here, Kyrgyzstan already beat Northern Mariana Islands with 18 unanswered goals. So we wanted a bigger win," Masahiko said.

"Thank you girls, for making history."

 

However, the Japanese coach also noted several problems from his side, including inaccurate passes and combinations that prevented them from scoring goals in some threatening attempts.

Chi, who netted six goals in total, said she was happy with her own and the entire team's performance as it was the first time that she scored so many goals in a game. She added that she expects to maintain her peak form in the next match, when Việt Nam play Kyrgyzstan on October 11. — VNS