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Vietnamese female players couldn’t make surprises before Portugal. (Photo: SGGP) |
The long-awaited miracle didn’t happen, but the performance of the Vietnamese women players in this match was highly commendable.
In the starting lineup, Coach Mai Duc Chung made two adjustments compared to the match against the United States, with Thanh Nha and Duong Thi Van returning to the starting eleven. The lineup of the Vietnamese team included Kim Thanh as goalkeeper; defenders were Thu Phuong, Tran Thi Thu, Hoang Thi Loan, Thai Thi Thao, Le Thi Diem My; Duong Thi Van, Tran Thi Thu Thao, Nguyen Thi Thanh Nha, Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy as midfielders; and Huynh Nhu as a striker.
On the other side, Portugal made more changes to the starting lineup compared to the match against the Netherlands, with many young players presented. They took the initiative to attack right from the beginning, making the Vietnamese girls pushed their attacking line high.
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Bich Thuy puts pressure on the opponent’s goal twice at the beginning. (Photo: SGGP) |
In the early minutes, the Vietnamese players initiated an aggressive attacking approach on the opponent’s side, followed by a direct free-kick and a corner kick within the first five minutes. After two attacking moves by the Vietnamese team inside the opponent's 16.5-meter area, Portugal issued a warning to Vietnam's defense with two close-range attempts, one of them being a shot by Silva.
In the 8th minute, Portugal had the first goal. Starting from a wing attack, the ball was crossed into the goal area, and Telma Encarnação easily defeated goalkeeper Kim Thanh. The pressure continued to mount on the Vietnamese team's goal, and Kim Thanh made two more saves for the home team shortly after.
In the 21st minute, Portugal doubled their lead with a diagonal shot from Kika Nazareth in a one-on-one situation against Kim Thanh. The pressure persisted in Vietnam's danger zone as their defensive line tried to thwart the attacks, and goalkeeper Kim Thanh made several brilliant saves.
The first half ended with a 2-0 score for Portugal, with the ball possession heavily skewed in Portugal's favor at 67 percent, clearly demonstrating the difference between the two sides.
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In the second half, coach Mai Duc Chung made a substitution, bringing Hai Linh and Van Su on in place of Duong Thi Van and Bich Thuy. In the final efforts, the Vietnamese women’s team pushes the ball up in search of a goal but without success. Meanwhile, the woodwork came to goalkeeper Kim Thanh's rescue twice as the ball bounced back off the crossbar, denying the shots from Marshao.
With a final score of 0-2, Vietnam remains at the bottom of Group E, while Portugal secured a spot in the quarterfinals.
