Football

Akira Ijiri (centre) and his Vietnamese players in a training session. Việt Nam is getting better and expects a positive result against China at the 2024 AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup on March 10. Photo courtesy of VFF

HÀ NỘI — Head coach Akira Ijiri saw positives from his Việt Nam side despite its 6-0 defeat to North Korea in the second group round match of the 2024 AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup on March 7 in Uzbekistan.

The southeast Asian side lost 10-0 to Japan in the first match. In the later match, the Vietnamese women did a better job in both attack and defence, narrowing Korean opportunities to score.

“Today we have shown that we can play better, not only with defending but being able to show what we can do from an attacking standpoint,” said Ijiri. “Although the result was not what we wanted, I think we did better compared to the game against Japan.”

Speaking to reporters at the post-match conference, captain Lê Thị Bảo Trâm said: "We had a poor result in the first match. We reviewed and learnt lessons from it. In this match, we played more fiercely and have better fighting spirit as well as higher determination. I think the whole team and I had a very good spirit and were confident to open attacks. We hope to try to find a goal in the next match."

Việt Nam is eliminated from the continental event but they will play and expect a high note in its last match against China on March 10.

On the other side, North Korean head coach Ri Song Ho said he had expected more from his team despite the emphatic win.

The former champion couldn’t score more from its 30 shots to improve its goal difference, which could ultimately decide the final group standings.

“Yes, we won but overall, I’m still not satisfied with today’s match because I think that the players could have done better,” said Ri.

North Korea is in second position with one win and one draw and four points. It will face already-qualified Japan and needs a result to advance to the semi-finals. VNS