Vietnam qualify for third round of AFC Women’s Olympic qualifiers

Vietnam qualified for the third round of the 2020 AFC Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in style, as Mai Duc Chung’s side hardly broke a sweat to beat Jordan 2-0 on April 9 to conclude the second round as the Group B winners.

Vietnam's women's team (in red) qualify for the third round of the 2020 Olympic qualifiers after three consecutive wins. (Photo: VFF)
Vietnam's women's team (in red) qualify for the third round of the 2020 Olympic qualifiers after three consecutive wins. (Photo: VFF)

* Vietnam edge past Uzbekistan in women’s Olympic football qualifiers

* Vietnam maintain Group B lead after win against Hong Kong (China)

Two second-half goals, by Nguyen Thi Van and Huynh Nhu, helped Vietnam extend their winning streak to three games, following their previous 2-1 victories over both Uzbekistan and Hong Kong (China).

Vietnamese women held a three-point lead going into the last match of their second-round campaign, needing only one more point to ensure their position as the group winners and earn a ticket to the third qualifying round, regardless of the result of the Hong Kong (China)-Uzbekistan game.

Despite deploying their strongest lineup for the decisive game, Mai Duc Chung’s side faced certain difficulties caused by the solid playing style of the Jordanians, who had nothing to lose and sought to score a consolation goal. The first half carried out fiercely but neither side managed to open the scoring.

Vietnam take absolute control of the match against Jordan. (Photo: VFF)

After the break, Vietnam continued to play stably and gradually took control of the game. Their constant pressure paid off with the opener by Nguyen Thi Van in the 65th minute, with Huynh Nhu getting on the score sheet two minutes later to seal a convincing 2-0 triumph for the Southeast Asian team.

Vietnam’s victory made the result of the Hong Kong (China)-Uzbekistan match count for nothing, although hosts Uzbekistan managed to secure a resounding 5-1 win.

As the Group B winners, Vietnam will join Group A winners Myanmar and Group C winners Chinese Taipei to progress into the third qualifying round, together with five other teams – the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Republic of Korea, China, Thailand and Australia.