TOO BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE 2 WOMEN'S TEAMS
Ranked 163rd in the world , the Maldives women's team is the lowest ranked of the four teams in Group E of the 2026 Asian Cup qualifiers. The South Asian opponent is 126 places below Vietnam, with a huge gap in skill level.
Match schedule of group E
Vietnam women's team is ready to conquer the 2026 Asian Cup qualifiers
Photo: MINH TU
Maldives has never qualified for the Asian Cup or World Cup. In the ASIAD, in the two rare times they participated (2014 and 2018), the South Asian representative lost in the group stage. In particular, at the 2014 ASIAD, Maldives conceded up to... 38 goals in 3 matches. The Maldives women's team lost 0-11 to Nepal, 0-13 to Bhutan and 0-14 to India. This is a young team, lacking experience and lacking specific tactical strategies.
That said, the Vietnamese women's team is likely to have an easy opening match at 7 p.m. today at Viet Tri Stadium.
In history, the Vietnamese women's team has repeatedly "poured" goals into the nets of weaker teams, such as the victory over the Syrian women's team (11-0), Iran (6-1) in 2017, 10-0 over the Singapore women's team in 2018, or 8-0 over the Indonesian women's team in 2019. Coach Mai Duc Chung still has a team of experienced players with Huynh Nhu, Pham Hai Yen, Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy, Duong Thi Van... to mold a team with great fighting spirit.
Against the opponent rated lowest in the group, the Vietnamese women's team will aim for two goals: a big win to create an advantage in the goal difference competition and give opportunities to new players.
C WAITING FOR THE TRANSFER
The moment Ngoc Minh Chuyen accelerated and accurately scored against the Werder Bremen women's team in the friendly match on May 16, the future generation of the Vietnamese women's team was revealed. Minh Chuyen grew up from the U.20 Vietnamese women's generation, molded in the Japanese style by coach Akira Ijiri. The female striker born in 2004 has all the qualities such as speed, technique and youthful boldness to become the next pioneer, ready to replace talented seniors such as Hai Yen and Huynh Nhu.
However, not all potential players quickly assert their position like Minh Chuyen. Among the 3 faces that coach Mai Duc Chung eliminated from the Vietnamese women's team right before the Asian Cup qualifiers, unfortunately there were 2 young factors such as Nguyen Hoang Nam Mi (2003) and Ho Thi Thanh Thao (2004). Of which, Thanh Thao was called up many times in the past year, but rarely remained in the final list.
Coach Mai Duc Chung's point of view is very clear. He wants to rejuvenate the team, but the young players themselves must assert their position. There will be no favoritism. To become pillars, the young players of the Vietnamese women's team must seize opportunities from the most suitable matches. The match with Maldives will see the young generation step into the light. Let's take advantage of the launching pad in Viet Tri to prove our abilities and bring a new breeze to Vietnamese women's football in this important transitional period.
"In this training session, the Vietnamese women's team will have the services of some young players such as Minh Chuyen and Nguyen Thi Hoa. We aim to top Group E, with high determination right from the opening match with Maldives. For the Vietnamese women's team, UAE, Maldives and Guam are all opponents that need to be taken seriously. They have all made significant progress. Towards this qualifying round, all three teams mentioned above have played friendly matches. The whole team needs to be careful and make a lot of effort," coach Mai Duc Chung affirmed before the opening match.
Support the Vietnam National Women's Football Team at the AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026 Qualifiers, live and exclusively on FPT Play, visit http://fptplay.vn
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-tuyen-nu-viet-nam-quyet-thang-dam-maldives-phat-kenh-nao-luc-may-gio-hom-nay-185250628212710797.htm
Comment (0)