Football

Vietnamese players practise at Dasarath Stadium in Kathmandu on April 4. They will face host Nepal on April 5. — Photo of VFF

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam will play its best against host Nepal in its first qualification round match for the Paris Olympics on April 5.

The two sides will play two matches on April 5 and 8 at Dasarath Stadium in Kathmandu. The winner will advance to the second qualifier.

Coach Mai Đức Chung appreciated Nepal, who is far behind Việt Nam in the world ranking but has made great progress compared to the past when he was at a press briefing on April 4.

"It is pity that two teams in the group withdrew from this qualifier. I really want to play with different teams so that we can prepare for our World Cup campaign," said Chung.

"We have not played each other in the past. But through videos of their matches, they impressed me with their strong growth. We are not here for a walk. We respect Nepal and will have to keep close eyes on them tomorrow and the return match on April 8," said Chung.

Captain Huỳnh Như, who is playing in Portugal, joined the team and took part in the briefing.

“Despite a big gap between us in the ranking, Việt Nam respects our rival. We watched a match between India and Nepal and found that Nepalese players owned good technique that helped them make a big step forward," said Như.

"I think that tomorrow's match will be difficult but we are here to win so we will have to do our best. I myself will bring everything learned when in Portugal to help Việt Nam and teammates in two matches here,” she said.

After the briefing, Việt Nam had its official training the same day at Dashrath Stadium.

Their match will be held at 7.15pm Hà Nội time. — VNS