AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026: Vietnam women’s national football team Eliminated
Despite their great efforts, the Vietnam women’s national football team suffered a 0–4 defeat against the much stronger Japan women’s national football team and were eliminated after the group stage of the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup.
To avoid depending on the result of the other match, the Vietnam women’s national football team needed at least one point against the Japan women’s national football team. However, in reality, there was a significant gap in quality between the two sides.
Head coach Mai Duc Chung made major changes to Vietnam’s starting lineup compared to the previous match against Chinese Taipei women’s national football team. Accordingly, he introduced five new players into the starting eleven, including goalkeeper Khong Thi Hang, defenders Hai Linh and Thu Thuong, midfielder Vu Thi Hoa, and forward Thuy Hang.
Meanwhile, several experienced players such as Bich Thuy, Thanh Nha, Huynh Nhu and Hai Yen started the match on the bench.
Right after the opening whistle, the Japan women’s national football team pushed forward in attack, forcing the Vietnam women’s national football team onto the defensive. Despite being under constant pressure and facing numerous chances from the opposition, the goal of Khong Thi Hang remained intact during the first half.
However, the Vietnamese goalkeeper could not keep a clean sheet following a well-organized attacking move by Japan. It was also evident that the team from the “Land of the Rising Sun” frequently used crosses from the right flank, allowing their forwards to challenge in the air after identifying the height disadvantage of Vietnam’s defenders. The opening goal for Japan came from such a situation in the 21st minute, when a cross from the right wing was met by Riko Ueki with a close-range header to put Japan ahead.
However, the gap in class and quality became more evident in the second half following the adjustments made by the Japan women’s national football team during the break. Quick one-touch combinations, sharp acceleration and excellent movement from Japanese players—many of whom are playing in Europe—placed the Vietnam women’s national football team under immense pressure.
In the 50th minute, Jun Endo Tanaka fired a shot from inside the penalty area to double Japan’s lead. Ten minutes later, Yuzuki Aoba produced a superb curling effort from outside the box to extend the advantage. In the 67th minute, Kiko Seike broke through and finished with a diagonal strike to make it 4–0.
Vietnam continued to push forward afterwards as head coach Mai Duc Chung introduced several experienced players from the bench, but the situation did not change. With the 0–4 defeat, the Vietnam women’s national football team were eliminated after the group stage of the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup.
