AFC Women's Asian Cup: Participation a 'lift for Vietnam'

Vietnam coach Chen Yun Fa believes his players have benefited greatly from their participation in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup after they ended their campaign with a 1-0 win over Thailand on Sunday.

Doan Thi Kim celebrates scoring the winner against Thailand as Vietnam end a worthwhile campaign.

Vietnam had looked like they would bow out of the tournament without a victory and a goal before Doan Thi Kim struck with 21 minutes remaining at Thong Nat Stadium to secure a morale-boosting victory over theirSouth East Asia rivals.

The result also meant the hosts claimed third place in Group A while Thailand finished bottom having failed to secure a point in any of their three games.

And Chen admitted he was delighted to see his side finish their participation in the competition on a high note.

“The feeling of winning is so different to the feeling of losing,” said the Chinese national.

“I am very happy and my players have made some big improvements since playing in this tournament.

“This was an excellent match with two strong teams who both tried their best.

“However we created many opportunities and got the important goal.

“I would like to thank my staff, players and all of Vietnam for an excellent tournament.”

Thailand coach Chana Yodprang, meanwhile, was philosophical in defeat and instead drew on the positives the Asian Cup have given both himself and his team.

The Thais managed to score just once in three games while conceding 11 goals but Chana feels it has been a valuable learning experience for his squad.

“I must congratulate Vietnam for their win,” he said.

“The condition of the pitch made things difficult for us and it was disappointing not to win but it happens.

“It has been good experience, not only for the players but for myself on the management side of things.”

Chana is now looking towards the future and believes he has seen enough from his young side’s performances to feel there is cause for optimism for the future.

“The team is a good team and they are very young,” he added. “We will keep them together as we look to build for the future.

“The last six games we played against Vietnam we performed well and hopefully we can punish them in the future.”