After the 1-4 defeat to Thailand U20 women's team in the second match of Group A, the 2026 AFC U20 Women's Championship finals, coach Okiyama Masahiko said that Vietnam U20 women's team will quickly stabilize their spirit, focusing maximally on the final match against Bangladesh U20 women's team with the goal of winning all 3 points to nurture hopes of going further.
Speaking after the match against Thailand U20 women's team, coach Okiyama Masahiko affirmed the determination of the whole team: "Of course, our goal is to win 3 points and try to advance. Although today's result is not as expected, the team will try our best in the final match.
Assessing the performance of his students against Thailand U20 women's team, the Japanese strategist admitted that the result did not meet the requirements, but still acknowledged the fighting spirit of the players, especially in the second half when the team tried to improve the game.
The players tried to encourage and cheer each other to create a better game in the second half," coach Okiyama Masahiko shared.
Explaining the reason why U20 Vietnam women's team encountered many difficulties in the first half, he said that the condition of the match partly affected the ability to deploy the playing style, and at the same time highly appreciated the opponent's technical level.
There are factors like the field where we are not trained much. However, the technique of the Thai U20 women's team is very good, I see a significant difference in technique," he said.
Moving towards the last match of the group stage against U20 Bangladesh women's team, coach Okiyama Masahiko said that the most important thing at this time is to raise the awareness of improving the expertise of each player, especially in basic ball handling skills in competition.
“Technology cannot be improved in just one or two days. The important thing is the awareness of each player. They must be aware that they need to improve, for example, one-touch situations or passing techniques, holding the ball,” emphasized the head coach of Vietnam U20 women's team.
According to the schedule, Vietnam U20 women's team will meet Bangladesh U20 women's team in the last match of Group A on April 7. This is an important match for coach Okiyama Masahiko and his team in the competition for the opportunity to advance in the tournament.
