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The home team, Poland's U23 women's team, has the upper hand in several aspects, enabling them to assert their dominance early in the game. |
As part of their preparation for the Women's World Cup 2023, the Vietnamese women's team continued their training program and played a friendly match against the Polish U23 women's team at Znicz Pruszkow Stadium on June 19. Despite their efforts, Vietnam’s female football players, guided by Coach Mai Duc Chung, experienced a 1-2 defeat due to physical disadvantages.
During the initial 15 minutes of the match, Poland dominated ball possession and executed pressing attacks in the Vietnamese women's team's half of the field. Several perilous situations were created, but goalkeeper Kim Thanh successfully thwarted them. In the 23rd minute, Magdalena Sobal skillfully dribbled down the right sideline inside the 16.5-meter area and delivered a precise shot, opening the scoring for the home team.
Following the goal against them, the Vietnamese women's team surged forward with an offensive strategy. In the 26th minute, a collaboration with Hai Yen allowed Huynh Nhu to dribble the ball, striking an opponent's leg and earning the first corner kick for the Vietnamese team. However, the ensuing cross failed to find its target. In the 32nd minute, while on the attack, team captain Huynh Nhu suffered an injury and could not continue the match, leading to Nguyen Thi Thuy Hang being brought on as a substitute.
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Huynh Nhu suffers an injury and has to leave the field in the middle of the first half. |
In the second half, Coach Mai Duc Chung made a substitution, bringing Khong Thi Hang on as the goalkeeper in place of Kim Thanh. Khong Thi Hang made a successful save against a shot from the Polish U23 team's forward. However, in the 58th minute, Khong Thi Hang was unable to stop team captain Gabriela Grzybowska's accurate penalty kick, resulting in a goal and bringing the score to 2-0 in favor of the home team.
Intending to test out different positions, Coach Mai Duc Chung quickly made five changes within the following two minutes. Thai Thi Thao, Ngan Thi Van Su, Tran Thi Hai Linh, Nguyen Thi Thanh Nha, and Vu Thi Hoa were substituted in, replacing Duong Thi Van, Nguyen Thi Tuyet Dung, Luong Thi Thu Thuong, Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy, and Nguyen Hai Yen, respectively.
In the 74th minute, Vu Thi Hoa advanced with the ball into the 16.5-meter area and delivered a cross towards the inside, but unfortunately, the ball was too weak. In the 77th minute, My Anh provided a cross for Thuy Hang to challenge with a header, directing the ball toward the opponent's goal. However, luck was not on Vu Thi Hoa's side, as her subsequent shot went over the crossbar.
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Encountering increasingly formidable opponents has proven to be advantageous for the development of the Vietnamese female players' skills and abilities. |
In the 87th minute, Hoang Thi Loan and Tran Thi Thuy Nga were substituted onto the field, replacing Nguyen Thi My Anh and Tran Thi Thu. Only one minute later, from a free-kick, Thanh Nha unleashed a shot from a 25-meter distance. The ball rebounded, and Van Su swiftly pounced on it to score a well-placed diagonal goal, narrowing the scoreline to 1-2 in favor of the Vietnamese women's team. That also marked the final score of the match.
As scheduled, on June 20, the Vietnamese women's team will have one final training session in Poland before heading back to Frankfurt, Germany, to prepare for their upcoming match against the German women's team on June 24.
