Pre-match information
The Vietnamese women's team will face Japan in the second match of Group E ASIAD 20 after losing to Taiwan (China) 1-2 in the opening match. Meanwhile, Japan had a favorable start with a 8-0 victory over Thailand.
The home team showed the strength of a gold medal contender with a quality squad. Nakashima and Takarada both scored hat-tricks, showing the ability to exploit space and finish effectively of the Japanese women's team's attack.
Under great pressure from the opponent, the requirement for the Vietnamese women's team is to maintain formation distance, limit space in front of the penalty area and make good use of transition situations.
The match against Japan will be a test of patience and maximum concentration for the Vietnamese women's team. We will choose a defensive option but not passive, always looking for opportunities to change to the fastest state.
At the same time, we must also calculate the reasonable allocation of forces to best prepare for the final match against Thailand," coach Hoang Van Phuc shared.
Head-to-head history also shows the gap between the two teams. Since 2006, Vietnam has met Japan 10 times but has not won. Most recently, the two teams clashed at the 2026 Asian Cup and Vietnam lost 0-4. Previously, the defeat with the smallest difference was 0-2 in the Paris 2024 Olympic qualifiers in 2023.
After the Japan match, Vietnam also meets Thailand. With the format of taking the top two teams and the two third-placed teams with the best results to the quarter-finals, goal difference is also a factor that needs to be considered.
