Vietnam’s door to the World Cup knockout stage officially closed following their straight losses against the United States and Portugal.
At present, the US and the Netherlands are leading Group E on four points, just a single point above Portugal in third place. Meanwhile, Vietnam currently stand at bottom in the group with zero points.
Despite having crashed out of the tournament, Vietnam still have one more chance to enrich their World Cup experience and show off themselves as they meet the Dutch challengers, who are the defending World Cup runners-up.
Addressing a press conference on July 31, head coach Mai Duc Chung acknowledged that the match would not be simple at all because the Netherlands wish to win big to advance to the next round.
However, he affirmed his side would never give up, adding that Vietnam would have to play more solidly and with better defence if they want to produce any surprise.
It is clear that the Netherlands, a regular in the world’s top 10, outperform the Vietnamese team in every aspects, from physique, fitness to expertise level.
The Dutch side’s showing in their first two matches showed that they are stronger than Portugal and slightly inferior to the US team (but still capable of holding the reigning world champions).
The absence of key striker Vivianne Miedema, one of the nominees for the Ballon d'Or and FIFA The Best awards, have significantly affected the Netherlands’ attacking efficiency. Meanwhile, the alternative plan also did not work as Arsenal star Lineth Beeransteyn suffered an injury in the opening clash against Portugal.
The Netherlands’ attacking power defends much on Jill Roord and Esmee Brugts, who both performed well against the United States.
In general, the Dutch players are superior to the Vietnamese women's team in terms of both physical strength and playing skills. They have very fast players. Even the fast, strong defenders of Portugal could not catch up with Lieke Maarten and her teammates.
It is a very tough mission for the Vietnamese defenders to keep up with the opponents’ pace and follow them in high-speed movements.
Mai Duc Chung’s players need to better adhere to tactics and maintain greater defensive focus than they did in the previous match against Portugal.
A strong fighting spirit, solid defence and sensible tactics will be the factors that help the Vietnamese side deliver a good display against the defending World Cup runners-up and even possibly realise the goal of scoring their first World Cup goal.
The Vietnam-Netherlands match will take place at 2pm today (Vietnamese time) at New Zealand’s Forsyth Barr stadium.
