Vietnam beat Chinese Taipei to secure first-ever Women’s World Cup berth

Vietnam booked their inaugural place in the FIFA Women’s World Cup on Sunday after edging past Chinese Taipei 2-1 to win the playoff round with three points clear.

Vietnamese players burst with joy after qualifying for the FIFA Women's World Cup for the first time. (Photo: Vnexpress)
Vietnamese players burst with joy after qualifying for the FIFA Women's World Cup for the first time. (Photo: Vnexpress)

Chuong Thi Kieu opened the scoring for Vietnam early in the first half before Su Yu-hsuan restored parity a few minutes after halftime.

Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy scored the winner four minutes before the hour mark to send the Vietnamese side through to the World Cup for the first time in history.

Chuong Thi Kieu heads home to put Vietnam ahead after just seven minutes. (Photo: Vnexpress)

Coach Mai Duc Chung’s side finished on top of the playoff round with six points following two successive wins, three points ahead of Chinese Taipei and six above bottom-placed Thailand.

Vietnam headed into the match with strong determination knowing that a victory would be a must for them to realise the World Cup dream.

Chuong Thi Kieu brought Vietnam off the mark after only seven minutes by rising up to head home Tuyet Dung’s left-flank cornerkick.

Such a perfect start boosted the Vietnamese players’ confidence inspiring them to produce a series of threats to the Chinese Taipei goal in the following minutes.

Late in the first half, goalkeeper Kim Thanh brilliantly blocked Ting Chi’s close-range attempt to safeguard Vietnam’s advantage into halftime.

Chinese Taipei enjoyed a positive start to the second half as forward Su Yu-hsuan ran onto Wu Kai-ching’s through ball and equalised with a low shot past Kim Thanh.

Just six minutes later, Bich Thuy burst into the penalty area before slotting home Thai Thi Thao’s cross to resume Vietnam’s lead.

With time running out, Vietnam created several more opportunities to score but could not covert any of them into a goal. However, the 2-1 victory was enough to steer them through to the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time in history.

Vietnam beat Chinese Taipei to secure first-ever Women’s World Cup berth ảnh 3

Vietnamese players celebrate after the match.