Football

Vietnamese players celebrate after scoring a goal in their 2-0 win over Nepal at the Paris Olympics' first qualification. — Photo courtesy of VFF

HÀ NỘI — In an exhilarating match at Dasarath Stadium, Việt Nam secured their place in the second Olympic women's football qualifier after defeating Nepal 2-0 on Saturday.

Việt Nam and Nepal were the only teams left in Group C after Palestine and Afghanistan withdrew from the competition. As the stronger side, Việt Nam quickly took control of the game and dominated Nepal from the very start.

Phạm Hải Yến, Việt Nam's talented striker, wasted no time in opening the scoring just five minutes into the game with a close tap-in from a Nguyễn Thị Mỹ Anh delivery.

A minute later, Thu Thảo dashed down the right wing and provided an excellent cross for Yến, who made no mistake and scored her second goal of the match.

Despite conceding two early goals, Nepal regrouped and fiercely resisted Việt Nam's attempts to score for the rest of the first half. In the second half, Việt Nam's coach Mai Đức Chung gave opportunities to his young players to try and score more goals, but they could not capitalise on their chances.

Nepal nearly had a goal in the 67th minute when Dipa Shahi lashed the ball towards the net but was denied by the post.

After two matches, Việt Nam won 7-1 on aggregate and will now advance to the second Olympic women's football qualifier.

Forward Huỳnh Như of Việt Nam battles for the ball against defender Hira Kumari Bhujel of Nepal during their Olympic qualification match on Saturday in Kathmandu. Việt Nam won 2-1. — Photo courtesy of VFF

“Nepal placed second in the South Asian region, so we played the games cautiously," said Chung at the post-match conference. "We are happy with the second win and qualify for the second round."

"Today, my players' performance meets my demand, but they still face challenges in scoring. I think that player No 9 (forward Sabitra Bhandari) of Nepal is really good. She is fast, dynamic and keeps running all the time. Goalkeepers of both sides played well today, denying many threatening kicks.

"Through these matches, my players learnt a lot from the hosts. They have good fitness, and their effort and determination are really appreciated. I want to congratulate Nepal for their strong progress."

Forward Yến, who has netted three times in this Olympic campaign, also participated in the conference.

"Việt Nam won 2-0, but it was a struggle," she said. "Nepal works hard with strong efforts and spirit. We were luckier than them with two goals. Hope to have more chances to play them in future tournaments."

Việt Nam is one of seven teams that qualified for the second round through matches. Five other teams, North Korea, Japan, Australia, South Korea and China, were given byes to this round.

They will be divided into three groups and compete in a round-robin format competition from October 23-31. Three top teams and one best second-placed squad will enter the third round.

Việt Nam received VNĐ500 million (US$21,180) as a bonus from the Việt Nam Football Federation for their first-round wins. They will arrive home on April 10.

The team will have no rest as they prepare for the 32nd SEA Games campaign, where they will defend their championship title.

At the Phnom Penh Games, women's football is from May 5-15. — VNS