Togetherness is key for Vietnam, says Dung
Newcastle: Vietnamese midfielder Nguyen Thi Tuyet Dung believes her side must unite as one to remain competitive with a star-studded Australia in the final play-off round of the AFC Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
Drawn against the likes of Chelsea’s Sam Kerr and Arsenal’s Caitlin Foord, Vietnam are clear outsiders in the two-legged play-off, which begins in Newcastle on Friday, with the winners to advance to July’s Tokyo 2020 women’s football tournament.
The Matildas have the more celebrated players, the stronger international pedigree, and, for Friday’s first leg, home ground advantage, but while Vietnam – ranked 25 places behind Australia at 32nd in the world – face an uphill battle, Dung said the team’s strength lies in its unity.
“We have played many games against the Australian national team and also the under-20 team. It’s not easy to play against them,” said Dung, a two-time Vietnamese women’s Player of the Year.
“The most important thing is that we must be very strong with our spirit and we must be united during the game. The other important thing is to never give up.”
Olympic hosts Japan may have won the last two AFC Women’s Asian Cup titles, but Dung considers Australia the best team in the Continent; and she is well placed to make the assessment.
The 26-year-old was a starter when the Matildas romped to an 8-0 win in the last competitive meeting between the sides at Jordan 2018, and also featured when the Matildas dished out a 9-0 win during qualifying for the Rio 2016 Olympics, but – unlike many of her teammates – she also has some positive memories against Australian opposition.
Dung scored both Vietnamese goals when the senior women’s side battled to a 4-2 defeat against the Australian U-20 national team, which featured Karly Roestbakken and Mary Fowler among other future senior internationals, at the 2018 AFF Women’s Championship in Indonesia.
Still riding on a high after reaching this final stage of qualifying thanks to a second-place finish in the Jeju-based Group A last month, Dung said her side would embrace the challenge of playing home and away against a world top 10 side.
“The Australian women’s national team is now the best team in Asia. They’re very strong, so we have to try our best for the game here in Australia,” said Dung, who scored against Uzbekistan in Vietnam’s opening Tokyo 2020 qualifier way back in April 2019.
“We don’t have our strongest possible team right now because some of the players have injuries, but we will try our best to have a good result.
“Our team, including myself, felt very happy when we were able to qualify for these play-off games. The whole team and I are excited for the first game here in Australia.”
An interesting aspect of Vietnam’s preparation for these matches was their willingness to organise practice matches against male opposition, with friendlies held against both a Hanoi U-15 selection and a side featuring players from the nation’s 2003 men’s SEA Games team.
Dung said the matches were organised specifically to prepare the Vietnamese side for the unique challenge posed by Ante Milicic’s physically fit side.
“We chose (to practice against) that type of opponent, because, as you know, the Australian women’s national team are very strong and with good physical strength,” she explained.
“We tried to find an opponent with similar play to Australia’s team. Especially one who could play long balls, high balls and with good physicality.
“I think it’s a very good experience for our team.”
Photos: Vietnam Football Federation, Football Federation Australia, AFP, AFC
