Football

Vietnamese goalkeepers (left) train in preparation for the match against Chinese Taipei on Sunday. Photos courtesy of VFF

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam must beat Chinese Taipei on Sunday to qualify for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Chinese Taipei's 3-0 victory over Thailand in the second match of the Asian Cup playoffs, means they stay on top of the three-side ranking table. 

Việt Nam, who beat Thailand 2-0 on February 2, are second on goal difference. 

The top team will qualify for the Australia/New Zealand event in July 2023. While Chinese Taipei just need a draw result, Việt Nam must win at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, India.

"I hope the players will be ready as we need to win the next game to qualify for the World Cup. We will work hard and give it our all against Chinese Taipei,” said coach Mai Đức Chung.

“We are half way to the World Cup. We will try hard and look forward to a positive result.”

Captain Cù Thị Huỳnh Như in training on Friday.

In the world rankings, Việt Nam are No 38 and Chinese Taipei No 39.

Despite placing higher than Chinese Taipei, Việt Nam have not had good result against them in the recent past.

In the latest meets, Chinese Taipei won 1-0 at the 2016 Olympics qualifier. Two years later Chung and his players lost after a penalty shootouts at the 2018 Asian Games' quarter-finals.

Vietnamese players practise yoga to relax.

A 20-minute yoga practise was held by the Vietnamese squad to release stress and create a comfortable spirit for players.

Việt Nam have had two days more to rest than Chinese Taipei and will have all players healthy and ready for the decisive game while their opponents can only play with a squad of 16 due to COVID-19.

To encourage the team, the Việt Nam Football Federation has announced a bonus of VNĐ1 billion (US$44,000) already and promised bigger rewards if they win.

Chinese Taipei head coach Kazuo Echigo has called on his team to seize any opportunity in Sunday's match for a place in the World Cup.  

“Before the (Thailand) match, we had a team meeting and I told the players that if we scored three goals, that would be ideal for us heading into the game against Việt Nam, and we did,” Echigo told the-afc.com. 

“Looking at our final game against Việt Nam and considering the timing, I believe it will be a challenge in terms of playing through the humidity. It’s going to be a tough match, we may not be at our best.

Chinese Taipei players celebrate in their 3-0 win over Thailand on Friday in Navi Mumbai, India. Photo of the-afc.com

“Việt Nam have the advantage as they have had extra rest days. We only have one day to recuperate and prepare. 

"However, this is our second chance to qualify for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and we are going to make the most of it.” VNS