Experience will boost Vietnam’s development, says Mai
Dunedin: Vietnam’s FIFA Women’s World Cup debut may have ended on a low note but head coach Mai Duc Chung believes the future is bright for the game in the Southeast Asian nation.
07/08/2023 12:31:51
Vietnam found the Netherlands too strong in their final Group E match at the Dunedin Stadium on Tuesday, with the 2019 runners-up cruising to a 7-0 win.
Mai, however, chose to look at the positives rather than dwell on the heavy defeat, with Vietnam ending their campaign with three losses.
“It is obvious that we could not match the Netherlands but the result isn’t demoralising. We accept that our level is much lower than them.
“To be honest, I was afraid the gap would be even bigger,” said Mai.
Vietnam opened their campaign with a 3-0 defeat to defending champions the United States which was then followed by a 2-0 loss to Portugal.
“Yes, we lost all three matches but the defeats were against teams who are very much better than us.”
“We played in the World Cup for the first time and we played with spirit. It was obvious that the spirit was willing but the flesh was not.
“Having said that, the experience gained here is something the Vietnamese players will take back home and hopefully, this will inspire the boys and girls in the country to play the game seriously.
“There is still much to do but our inaugural participation in the World Cup can only mean good for Vietnamese football.”
Source: AFC
