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Besides the April 5 match, Vietnam and Nepal will play again on April 8. (Photo: The All Nepal Football Association) |
The first half saw Vietnamese women completely control the game and create more scoring chances.
In the 11th minute, Hai Yen jumped to head home, giving Vietnam the lead.
In the 36th minute, Nhu extended Vietnam’s lead with a penalty kick.
In the 38th minute, Bich Thuy earned another goal for Vietnam from a Nepalese defender’s own goal.
Nepalese women carved out several chances but failed to defeat Vietnamese goalkeeper Khong Thi Hang.
Three minutes into the second half, Nhu took advantage of Hoang Thi Loan’s precise cross from the left side and headed home, sending the ball into the far corner of the goal.
The Vietnamese side slowed down the pace, and coach Mai Duc Chung also made some substitutions to keep key players in good form for the coming game.
About 10 minutes before the last whistle, from a smart slit of her teammate, Bhandari crossed the penalty box and defeated goalkeeper Hang.
However, Thanh Nha had a very long shot with her left foot in the extra time, rocketing the ball into the top corner of the goal, clinching a 5-1 victory for Vietnam.
After Afghanistan and Palestine withdrew, there are only two teams – Vietnam and Nepal - in Group C. Besides the April 5 match, they will play again on April 8. The winner will advance to the second qualifier. The seven group winners from Round 1 will continue their quest in Round 2, which is expected to commence in October.
In the next round, they will be joined by the five highest-seeded teams – Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Japan, Australia, China, and Republic of Korea – and divided into three groups.
Four teams – the three group winners and the best-ranked runners-up – will then progress to Round 3 to play two pairs of home and away matches, slated for February 2024, with the eventual winners qualifying for the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament Paris 2024.
