Football

Vietnamese defender Hoàng Thị Loan tries to take the ball from Spanish Mariona Caldentey during their friendly match on July 14. Spain won 9-0. Photo courtesy of RFEF

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam suffered a 9-0 loss to Spain in a closed-door friendly match on July 14 in Auckland, New Zealand, their last warm-up before the FIFA Women's World Cup.

Việt Nam could not overcome or surprise the world No 6 team who easily dominated the match and quickly scored two goals in the first half.

Alba Redondo opened the score with a header at the seventh minute. Five minutes later, Althenea Castillo tapped the ball in to make it 2-0.

The SEA Games champions tried to counter the attack. They had an opportunity in the 26th minute when midfielder Nguyễn Thị Bích Thùy prized the ball and ran it into the box. However, she couldn't get it past goalkeeper Catalina Tomas.

Dương Thị Vân also earned her chance near the end of the first half but her finish went wide.

In the second half, key players of Spain were put on the field while coach Mai Đức Chung of Việt Nam made several changes, allowing his young girls to play. His changes did not make things any better.

Salma Celeste, Hermoso Fuentes, and Gonzalez Rodriguez scored a double each while Bonmati Conca netted one in this half.

Spanish players enjoy their 9-0 win over Việt Nam during a friendly match on July 14 in Auckland, New Zealand. Photo courtesy of RFEF

“We tried our best but in this match, there was a lack of coordination between players and they were not confident at all," said Coach Chung after the game.

"I made changes in the second half but it was still an unexpected result. I see it as a test to choose the best line-up."

It was the third loss in a row for Việt Nam in their preparation campaign for the World Cup. They lost 2-1 to Germany and 2-0 to New Zealand.

Chung and his team will have one week to fix all problems and pick his strongest squad.

Việt Nam, world No 32, will play No 1 and defending champions the US on July 22 at Eden Park in Auckland. They will next see No 30 Portugal on July 27-7 at Waikato in Hamilton. In the last match, Việt Nam will meet No 4 the Netherlands on August 1 at Dunedin in Dunedin City. VNS