The Vietnamese women's team qualified for the quarterfinals after a 0-0 draw with Thailand in the last group stage match. Sharing after the training session on September 22, midfielder Duong Thi Van said that the whole team is in a comfortable spirit and focusing on recovery.
The whole team is currently very excited and comfortable after winning a ticket to the quarter-finals. In terms of fitness, the whole team will try to recover well to prepare for the next match," Duong Thi Van shared.
In the quarterfinals, the Vietnamese women's team will face host China. This is an opponent that coach Hoang Van Phuc and his team once met during the training process before ASIAD 20.
Assessing the challenges ahead, Duong Thi Van admitted that the Chinese women's team has many advantages but said that it does not affect the determination of the Vietnamese team.
“For China, they are clearly better than us in many aspects, from physique, fitness to tactics and techniques. However, that does not discourage the whole team. We will enter the match with the highest mentality and determination to be able to achieve the best results,” the midfielder born in 1994 said.
According to Duong Thi Van, international competition experience and tactical preparation of the coaching staff will be important factors before the quarter-finals.
“I myself have a lot of experience competing with international opponents. Besides, the coaching staff will come up with reasonable tactics. I think the whole team will have good preparation to enter the match with China and aim for a suitable game,” she said.
The Vietnamese women's team is in the process of generational transition, with a combination of experienced players and young faces. Duong Thi Van said that the whole team is striving to adapt to new requirements under the guidance of the coaching staff.
As everyone knows, the team is in the process of generational transition and the new coaching staff also has new tactics. The whole team is trying very hard to catch up and improve everything," Duong Thi Van shared.
The veteran midfielder also hopes that fans will continue to accompany the Vietnamese women's team, and also said that she wants to play a role in connecting the members of the team.
I hope fans will continue to accompany and support the Vietnamese women's team. Personally, I will do everything best to connect the members, both on and off the field, so that everyone can confidently play football and show their best," Duong Thi Van expressed.
ASIAD 20 is the second Asian Games in Duong Thi Van's career. The midfielder born in 1994 assessed that the Vietnamese women's team's entry into the quarter-finals is a positive sign, as the team stopped in the group stage at the previous ASIAD.
This is my second ASIAD. This is a difficult arena. In the previous tournament, we stopped from the group stage, but this time the team has gone deeper and that is also a good sign," Duong Thi Van said.
She expects the Vietnamese women's team to maintain a comfortable mentality to continue to show progress in the next matches.
I think in this arena, the whole team will play with a comfortable mentality, thereby being able to perform better and better in the next matches," Duong Thi Van said.
