Coach Mai Duc Chung: 'I can only encourage Huynh Nhu'

Vietnam women's team - Photo 1.

Huynh Nhu missed a penalty in the match against Maldives and had many good opportunities in the match against UAE - Photo: NGOC LE

On the evening of July 2, the Vietnamese women's team defeated the UAE 6-0 at Viet Tri Stadium in the second round of Group E of the 2026 Women's Asian Cup qualifiers. After 2 wins with a total score of 13-0, Huynh Nhu still has not scored.

"I can only encourage Huynh Nhu. She is older and the captain of the team, we should not criticize her but encourage her. The player has good and bad matches," coach Mai Duc Chung shared at the press conference after the match.

Mr. Chung continued to comment: "In terms of expertise, Huynh Nhu needs to handle the game more smoothly. As a striker, he needs to stay close to the opponent's goal instead of falling back to receive the ball and turning his back to the opponent's defense, leading to collisions and injuries."

Winning two matches and consolidating the top position in the table, the head coach of the Vietnamese women's team is still not really satisfied.

"I'm still not satisfied with the finishing ability of the Vietnamese women's team. We still have a lot to learn from. The ability to coordinate attacks is still not well-coordinated, and there are still many mistakes in passing. The coordination of pressing to compete for the ball is still not effective," said Mr. Chung.

With 6 points after 2 matches, the Vietnamese women's team only needs to draw with Guam (5 points, second in the group) in the final round to secure a ticket to the final round next year.

"I watched Guam lose 0-1 to Cambodia in a friendly match before the qualifiers. Guam players are stronger, have better stature and strength than Vietnam. We still need to pass small, fast passes and catch people quickly when facing them. I am willing to give opportunities to young players, but we need to calculate the timing," said head coach Mai Duc Chung.

The match between Vietnam and Guam will take place at 7:00 p.m. on July 5 at Viet Tri Stadium.

Coach Mai Duc Chung: 'I can only encourage Huynh Nhu' - Photo 3.