Football

HẢI PHÒNG  Việt Nam has trounced Cambodia 6-0 in a match on Wednesday at the Lạch Tray Stadium in Hải Phòng City.

Coach Mai Đức Chung said he is pleased with Việt Nam's win in the opening match of the ASEAN Women’s MSIG Serenity Cup, adding that it was a step closer to the team's title target. 

Four goals in 10 minutes in the first half sent the Vietnamese well on their way to victory. Points were racked up by four different players: Dương Thị Vân, Ngân Thị Vạn Sự, Phạm Hải Yến, and Nguyễn Thị Vạn. Two other players, Nguyễn Thị Trúc Hương and Thái Thị Thảo, scored after the break to complete the rout.

 “The atmosphere at Lạch Tray reminded me of the competition atmosphere at the 2003 SEA Games where we won the trophy," Chung said.

"Today we also won gloriously, thanks to the efforts of the players and with support from the crowd. We took a 6-0 win, but I had hoped to score more goals. We still missed many opportunities.

"We have competed against the Cambodian team at the SEA Games before, and I realise now that they have made great progress." 

 

Việt Nam has joined Thailand, which crushed Indonesia 7-0 in another game, at the top of Group A with maximum points after the opening round of matches.

The 74-year-old coach said he believes that Thailand are strong rivals despite fielding a young team. They have proven themselves to be much stronger than Indonesia, as their 7-0 win says it all. 

Chung said that this tournament is difficult for Việt Nam, so his entire team must try their best every match to reach the final, adding that winning the championship is the top priority.

At the post-match press conference, midfielder Nguyễn Thị Bích Thùy thanked the national team's supporters for their loud cheering in the stands, which she said gave the team a big boost during the first match.

Thùy was voted Player of the Match, and said she hopes to receive more support, promising to work harder to achieve the team's goal.

A VNĐ500 million (US$19,000) prize was awarded to Thuỳ and her team by Hải Phòng City and the Việt Nam Football Federation.

On the other side, coach Gyotoku Koji of Cambodia confirmed that there was a big gap between the two teams.

“I've only worked with the team for a short period. In this match, there was a big difference in level between Việt Nam and Cambodia. Việt Nam are very strong, and we did not get a single opportunity in this match," said the Japanese coach, who had said at the pre-match press conference that he wanted an upset against the hosts.

"The Vietnamese women play in the same style as their men's team," he noted. "They have good techniques and move very flexibly.

"If we compare Vietnamese and Cambodian football, we are not on the same level — but I think we can compete with the men's team, while it is more difficult for the women. However, we performed relatively well in today match."

The teams in Group A will be back in action at Lạch Tray on Saturday, with Thailand meeting Cambodia and Việt Nam playing against Indonesia.

The top two teams in each group will advance to the semi-finals on August 16 at Lạch Tray, which will also host the third-place playoffs and the final three days later. VNS