Australia send Vietnam to second straight loss in Women's Olympic Qualifying
Vietnam conceded their second consecutive defeat at the ongoing 2016 Olympics Asian women's football final qualification round in Japan, as they were…
Australian striker Kyah Simon (centre) tries to escape from Viet Nam defenders during their Olympic qualifying match in Japan. Viet Nam lost 9-0
The Australian women trounced their Vietnamese rivals 9-0 in a one-sided game in Osaka, claiming their second win at the six-team tournament, after beating hosts Japan 3-1 in the opener on Monday, when the Vietnamese lost 0-2 to China.
Vietnam failed to present a strong and brave spirit as they did in the China encounter, letting the strong Aussie women take the lead as early as ten minutes into the match.
Australia closed the first half with five goals, with a treble by 24-year-old striker Simon Kyah. Vietnam had almost no chance in the second half, as their opponents went on to net four more goals.
The Osaka tourney, running from February 29 to March 9, is the final round of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifiers for the Rio 2016 women’s football tournament, according to FIFA.
Vietnam are the play-off qualifiers at the event that also includes Japan, Australia, China, South Korea and North Korea, challenging one another for only two tickets to Brazil this summer.
Meanwhile, Australia and China were both quarterfinalists of the 2015 World Cup in Canada, whereas hosts Japan were the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup winners and London 2012 silver medalists.
After the victory against Vietnam, Australia now top the table with two wins and 12 goals, whereas Vietnam sit at the bottom with a -11 goal difference.
The Rio 2016 Summer Olympics takes place from August 5 to 21 in Rio de Janeiro, with a 12-team tournament for women’s football.
The remaining journey of the Vietnamese women and their coach, Mai Duc Chung, includes tough clashes with three-time Asian champions North Korea on March 4, Japan on March 7 and South Korea on March 9.
