Coach Mai Duc Chung: ‘Spirit cannot overcome expertise’

At Forsyth Barr Stadium (Dunedin city), Vietnam was inferior to the Netherlands.

The Hanoi coach added that the team has been preparing for more than a year for the World Cup journey, the players have also improved but still have to work more to narrow the gap with the world’s top teams.

Coach Mai Duc Chung in the 0-7 loss to the Netherlands at Forsyth Bar, Dunedin, New Zealand on August 1.

For the first time participating in the World Cup, Vietnam fell into the Group of Death, which included defending champion America and runner-up Netherlands.

In the opening match, Vietnam impressed with its resilient and disciplined playing style and only lost 0-3 to the US.

The highlight of Vietnam in this match was probably limiting the number of goals conceded in the second half, after conceding five times in the first half.

In Vietnam’s squad, there were two players who did not play a single minute during the tournament: defender Tran Thi Thuy Nga and midfielder Tran Thi Thuy Trang.

The set goal was not met, but this generation of female players is considered instrumental in laying the foundation for the Vietnamese national team to approach the World Cup playground.

Commenting on the team that wins this World Cup, he said: `Hopefully it is the Netherlands or the United States, to show that we deserved to lose to these opponents.`

According to plan, on August 3, the team will return home.