Vietnamese women's football team head coach Hoàng Văn Phúc at the post-match press conference on Monday. — Photo courtesy of VFF

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam will face China in the women’s football quarter-finals at the 2026 Asian Games, after a goalless draw with Thailand gave the team the point they needed to secure a place in the last eight.

Việt Nam head coach Hoàng Văn Phúc said the team would focus on recovery before analysing China and preparing a suitable tactical plan for the quarter-final at 1pm on September 25 (Hà Nội time).

Speaking at the post-match press conference on Monday, Phúc said the team had known about Myanmar and Bangladesh’s 0-0 draw before their final Group E match. The result meant Việt Nam needed at least a point against Thailand to advance, but the coaching staff had still prepared for the match with the aim of winning.

Thailand made several changes to their line-up compared with their previous two matches, using three centre-backs, pushing two wing-backs forward and at times deploying five players in midfield. This made it difficult for Việt Nam to control the middle of the pitch in the first half, Phúc said.

Việt Nam changed their approach after the break, pressing higher and creating several chances.

“We had two or three chances to score, including opportunities for Bích Thùy and Vũ Thị Hoa. If we had taken them, we could have scored. But one point was enough for us to be satisfied because the team secured a place in the quarter-finals,” Phúc said.

Việt Nam had one win in the group stage and scored relatively few goals. Phúc acknowledged that the attack still needed to improve, although he said the team had created clear chances against Taiwan (China), apart from the match against Japan, where the difference in level was considerable.

Against Thailand, the need to secure at least a draw meant Việt Nam had to balance attacking ambition with defensive safety. A higher defensive line could have created more chances, but it would also have increased the risk of conceding, Phúc said.

China, who Việt Nam faced during a training camp before the Asian Games, will now stand in their way in the quarter-finals.

“China are a strong team. Our immediate priority is to recover physically. We will then analyse the opponent and work out an appropriate tactical plan,” Phúc said.

“We are likely to choose a counter-attacking approach.”

The other quarter-finals will see North Korea face Taiwan (China), South Korea play Uzbekistan and Japan take on the Philippines. — VNS