After losing to Vietnam, UAE women's team coach reveals surprising truth

On the evening of July 2, the Vietnamese women's team faced the UAE in the second match of Group E, the 2026 Women's Asian Cup qualifiers. Coach Mai Duc Chung and his team continued to show their superiority and won a resounding 6-0 victory over the representative from the West Asian region. The goals were scored by Chuong Thi Kieu, Thai Thi Thao, Nguyen Thi Van (double), Pham Hai Yen and Ngan Thi Van Su.

With a perfect record after 2 matches, the Vietnamese women's team firmly holds the top position in Group E with 6 points and a goal difference of +12.

"Vietnamese players still have many problems to learn from"

After the match, coach Mai Duc Chung shared: "I am satisfied with the score of the match. We were cautious with the UAE team, when a club from this country once led Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club 3-0 in the first half of the AFC Champions League for Women. However, there are still many issues to learn from. The players' attacking coordination is not yet in sync, there are many bad passes, and the competition is not good. The players need to get closer."

Regarding the opponent in the final match, Guam, Mr. Chung commented: "I have watched Guam. They are in good shape. Therefore, we need to coordinate small and pass the ball quickly."

After losing to Vietnam, the UAE women's team coach revealed a very surprising truth - Photo 1.

UAE women's team coach said his players are just amateurs - PHOTO: NHAT ANH

Coach Mai Duc Chung also encouraged striker Huynh Nhu after 2 matches in which she could not contribute a goal for the Vietnamese women's team: "Huynh Nhu is old but is still the captain of the team. We should not criticize her but encourage her, because every player has good and bad matches. Huynh Nhu needs to be more agile and faster. A player with a spearhead role must stick close to the opponent's defense."

The captain of the Vietnamese women's team said the coaching staff will be ready to give young players a chance in the final match of the group stage, but it depends on the actual situation and the appropriate timing.

The Vietnamese women's team is holding a huge advantage in the race for a ticket to the 2026 Women's Asian Cup. The decisive match for the ticket to the next round is the match between Vietnam and Guam, on July 5.

UAE women's team coach: "We are just amateur players"

On the other hand, UAE women's team coach Vera Pauw shared: "In sports , no one likes to lose badly. Before the match, we told each other that the match could go in two directions, either we would keep the game, the match would be very tense. Or we would be swept away and lose by a large score. I am very proud of the players because they fought until they had no more strength left. They fought for honor. You can't blame them for anything.

The difference is that we are amateur players, training only 1-2 times a week, while our opponents are professional players, coming from a football background with many players and having developed for a long time. They have reached the Women's World Cup, while our football has almost collapsed after the Covid-19 pandemic. We have to start from scratch. With a lot of effort from some people in the federation. Over the past few years, we have rebuilt the system. Now we have a national championship, youth tournaments U.17, U.15, U.13, U.11 and also community football. That is our starting point. If I look at that situation and see the players giving every drop of sweat for the team, I cannot be disappointed. I can only be proud of them."

Mr. Vera Pauw added about the Vietnamese women's team: "Their position rotation is very fast. Vietnamese players can constantly switch positions on the field, but every position is filled immediately. The Vietnamese team does it at a very high speed. The ability to move, turn and coordinate at high speed, especially when aiming towards the opponent's goal. The playing style of the Vietnamese women's team is very flexible and diverse."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/thua-dam-viet-nam-hlv-doi-tuyen-nu-uae-tiet-lo-su-that-rat-bat-ngo-185250702222205978.htm