Nguyễn Thị Thanh Nhã dribbles past a Cambodian player. Việt Nam cruised to a 3-0 victory in their opening match of the AFF Women's Football Cup in the Philippines . Photo VFF

Football

HÀ NỘI — Coach Mai Đức Chung has expressed his satisfaction with the performance of the Vietnamese national women’s football team following their 3-0 victory against Cambodia in their opening match of the AFF Women's Football Cup in the Philippines on Thursday,

“In this match, Cambodia showed their progress compared to the 31st SEA Games, their positions were even and they played cohesively. The goal of the Vietnamese team were to take three points so it was not a bad result,” Chung said after the match.

The victory was all the sweeter as they had to compete against the weather too.

“It was raining and the pitch was slippery. It greatly affected the play of the Vietnamese team as they could not coordinate but had to kick long. Cambodia, therefore, had a solution to solve. What I'm happy about is that the team hit the target, avoided injuries and won three points. The players tried their best to overcome difficulties," Chung added.

Việt Nam will play Laos next on July 9, where coach Chung hinted he may look to rotate his squad.

"The match against Laos is the same as the first game. Our goal is to keep the force from being injured and win three points,” Chung said.

Meanwhile, striker Ngân Thị Vạn Sự, who was voted player of the match, shared: "Not only me, but the whole team tried to win the opening match at the tournament. I am satisfied with this victory of the Vietnamese team.”

Regarding the conditions of the team's stay in the Philippines, Chung said: "Although Việt Nam stayed at a five-star hotel, the diet was not suitable. However, we have prepared food from home to help the players change dishes, avoiding boredom during meals."

Việt Nam, the defending champions, are in Group B with Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Timor Leste. They are expected to finish top without too many difficulties.

Group A consists of Australia, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Teams compete in a round-robin format in the group stage. The best two will advance to the semi-finals.

Việt Nam won the event in 2006, 2012 and 2019. VNS