Huynh Nhu dedicates historic strike to absent fans
Quang Ninh: Vietnamese women’s national team captain Hunyh Nhu has reflected on scoring her side’s first ever goal against Australia, dedicating her long-range strike to fans unable to attend Wednesday’s Olympic qualifying play-off at Cam Pha Stadium.
The 55th minute strike wasn’t enough to drag Vietnam to a maiden Olympic appearance – with their 2-1 defeat on the night part of a 7-1 aggregate loss – but it did provide evidence of significant progress for the Southeast Asian side.
They had been beaten 8-0 by the Australians less than two years ago, suffered a resounding 11-0 defeat back in 2015, and never had found the net against the Matildas at senior level, with Nhu’s delicate long-range strike earning the diminutive forward a slice of history.
The match was one of countless sporting events throughout the globe to have been played behind closed doors due to ongoing Covid-19 precautions, and Nhu was quick to dedicate the goal to Vietnamese fans who couldn’t attend the match.
“I’m very happy that I scored, because this is the first goal we have ever scored against the Australian team,” said the 28-year-old Ho Chi Minh forward, who finished the qualifying campaign with four goals in six matches.
“In the stadium we had no supporters, but we know that all of them saw the match on TV. I want to thank them all because they always support the Vietnamese team
“Before the match, I set a target for myself to score a goal and I did it. I want to dedicate this goal to all Vietnamese supporters.”
While Australia ultimately sealed a comfortable qualification at Vietnam’s expense, the hosts left Wednesday’s clash both buoyed after a highly competitive one-off performance and a touch disappointed not to have gotten a result on the night.
While Vietnam’s campaign didn’t end with what would have been an unprecedented Olympic berth, Nhu said their run through the competition has been a priceless learning experience.
“The Australian women’s national team is very strong,” she said. “They’re ranked seventh in the world and from these matches we can learn a lot, especially their skill in playing the ball. It’s a good experience for us for our future development.
“During half-time the coach encouraged the whole team and made some tactical changes to improve our play on the counterattack. After my goal, the team had some more chances.
“If we could have taken some of those chances, we maybe could have gotten a better result.”
