(VOVWORLD) - Vietnam’s national women’s football team won a gold medal at the recent 32
nd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 32) in Cambodia, successfully defending their fourth consecutive championship and the 8
th gold medal at SEA Games.
 The Vietnamese women's football team celebrates their victory at SEA Games 32. (Photo: baochinhphu.vn) |
Coach Mai Duc Chung and the players were warmly welcomed when they arrived at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on Tuesday.
In a highly anticipated SEA Games Women's Football final, Vietnam triumphed over Myanmar with a hard-fought 2-0 victory on Monday evening.
Dang Ha Viet, Head of Vietnam Sports Delegation at SEA Games 32, said, “Our women’s footballers championed the SEA Games for the 4th consecutive year and the 8th gold so far. They’ve performed a miracle which motivated other athletes. We thank them for doing their best to bring glory to the nation.”
The impressive achievement of Vietnamese women’s footballers was attributed to the strong determination of individuals and the entire team.
“Before the tournament, coach Chung told us that if we win, we’ll go down in history. We encouraged each other to try our best. With the love of the supporters, we won,” said captain Huynh Nhu.
22-year-old striker Nguyen Thi Thanh Nha said she will never forget the moment she scored the goal to seal Vietnam’s win at SEA Games 32.
“I’m very happy to play a part in the victory. I did my best to help my teammates break the opponent's defense. The situation on the field required us to make quick decisions, or else we would miss the opportunities.”
 The women's football team and head coach Mai Duc Chung (C) are welcomed at Noi Bai International Airport on May 16, 2023. (Photo: Nhan Dan newspaper) |
Behind the success of the Vietnamese women’s football team is the coaching staff, particularly head coach Mai Duc Chung, who has worked with the team for many years and is respectfully called father Chung and uncle Chung.
“This Sea Games was very difficult for us. Some of our players were injured. We also had many young players. Having many years of experience, I predicted the games situation and substituted players in the right time so they could bring into the games their full capacity. Thanh Nha made full use of her advantages of speed and a good shot to score the second goal. I think it was the best goal at this SEA Games,” said coach Chung.
After the victory at SEA Games 32, the international media gave a lot of praise to the team and coach Mai Duc Chung. The Asia Football Confederation, AFC, ran an article “Vietnam beats Myanmar for women’s gold.” AFC said that the achievement of the Vietnamese women's football is a record that will take a long time for regional rivals to break.
The homepage of the Southeast Asian Football Federation (AFF) expressed how it was impressed with the achievements of the Vietnamese women's team to win four gold medals in a row.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said that Vietnam’s victory at SEA Games 32 is especially meaningful, as the team prepares to attend World Cup women’s football for the first time this summer. The French news agency AFP said the Vietnamese women's team scored an important goal ahead of the World Cup.
The victory at SEA Games 32 is the driving force behind the Vietnamese women’s football team and coach Mai Duc Chung to advance to the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in July.