Football

Ngọc Minh Chuyên (centre) celebrates her goal, the only one of Việt Nam, during the 2024 AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup's match between Việt Nam and China on March 10. Photos of AFC

HÀ NỘI — Despite the three defeats and disqualification from the 2024 AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup, Việt Nam head coach Ijiri said the experience was an invaluable to prepare players for later major competitions.

Việt Nam lost 1-6 to China in the last Group B match on March 10. Earlier, the only Southeast Asian region representative was defeated 0-10 by Japan and 0-6 by North Korea.

“I wouldn’t say this is our best game but we gained plenty of experience from this match as well as the overall tournament, which will be helpful for our development,” Ijiri said after the China match.

“I would like to thank the Uzbekistan FA and AFC for organising this tournament as well as the Việt Nam Football Federation and Vietnamese people living in Uzbekistan for their support to the team,” he said.

Ijiri said he was pleased with the result because the whole team believed in each other as a family with the same vision.

Everyone wanted to have a positive result but playing against five top Asian teams was difficult due to a big gap in quality. There were many mistakes that needed to fix. When players back to their clubs, they should share their experience, train hard and constantly pursue their dreams.

Players pose for photos with Vietnamese supporters after their last match at the Asian Cup.

Ngọc Minh Chuyên scored the only goal for Việt Nam at the tournament, which is a great memory for the small but speedy striker.

“Scoring a goal against a strong team made me really happy. It was an emotional goal for me and my team. I nearly cried after my finish. It will help me in the future competitions," Chuyên said.

Her teammate, goalkeeper Lê Thị Thu said: "It was the first time that I played in a continent-level event. I was under pressure in the first match but I also earned a lot of experience. I faced sharp goal hunters from strong teams. They will help me to make better decisions. It was really good for my future career." VNS