Vietnam’s adventure at the FIFA Women’s World Cup came to an end on Thursday after the minnows suffered their second Group E defeat, losing 2-0 to Portugal at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton, New Zealand.
Playing at a World Cup for the first time, Vietnam lost 3-0 to four-time world champions United States in the opening game, but they showed brilliant discipline and defensive performance which earned them praise from fans and critics.
However, that solid defensive display was absent against Portugal as the five-time Southeast Asian champions could not catch up with their European opponents’ fluid football.
Once again playing in a 5-4-1 formation but with two changes from their last game, Vietnam made an aggressive start, having an attempt at goal within just three minutes.
But Portugal soon caught up and began causing problems for Vietnam’s disorganised defence as Jessica Silva entertained the crowd with her crosses from the right wing.
In the seventh minute, Portugal scored their first-ever World Cup goal through forward Telma Encarnacao, who turned the ball into the net after defender Lucia Alves found her with a pinpoint cross in the box following a brilliant team move.
The Europeans soon doubled their lead, going 2-0 up in the 21st minute, as Encarnacao this time turned provider for Kika Nazareth, who made a perfect run into the Vietnam box and slipped the ball beyond the goalkeeper into the net.
Sloppy defending continued to be a problem for Vietnam throughout the game and they could have gone 3-0 down at the half-hour mark when Encarnacao was through on goal and volleyed the ball, but goalkeeper Tran Thi Kim Thanh did well to make the save.
Portugal were 1-0 losers against the Netherlands in their opening game, but against Vietnam, they were far superior on several levels – the intensity, quality and most of all, execution of their tactics.
Playing in a 4-1-2-3 formation which later turned into a 3-5-2, Portugal looked impressive with their direct football and enjoyed the lion’s share of possession.
They ended the first half with 10 attempts at goal, with five of those on target, while Vietnam had three attempts of which only one was on target. Vietnam’s only positive moment in the first half came in the 40th minute when midfielder Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy took a shot from outside the 18-yard box, but Portugal goalkeeper Patricia Morais calmly palmed it away.
In the second half, Encarnacao could have had her second goal when Silva bamboozled the Vietnam defence once again and pinged a cross to the back post, but Encarnacao’s first-time volley flew over the bar.
Portugal were left wondering how did they not add more goals when Silva twice missed chances to score from very close range, while Nazareth also could not finish the job. Immediately after the incident, they were substituted.
Vietnam coach Mai Duc Chung, the oldest coach at this year’s tournament at 72 years, would have hoped for a turnaround in fortunes in the second half, but in the end, Vietnam suffered defeat and joined Ireland, Costa Rica and Zambia in the list of teams who have been eliminated from this year’s World Cup.
Portugal were happy to celebrate their first World Cup victory but were left frustrated at the several missed chances, having registered 26 shots at goal, with eight on target.
THINGS WE LEARNED
Disorganised defence proves too costly for Vietnam: On several occasions, Silva beat the Vietnamese defence for pace and the Asians were particularly poor in the penalty area. Vietnam’s defenders looked confused and poorly organised – which often cost them problems in crucial moments when Portugal came attacking. They also looked tired in the second half.
Gulf in quality: The fact that Vietnam’s best player, Huynh Nhu, plies her trade in the Portuguese second division once again proved the gulf in class. Vietnam are 32nd in the world rankings, 11 spots below Portugal, and the difference in quality could be seen on the pitch as Vietnam were nowhere as good as Portugal in attack or defence.
Lack of confidence: After a confident performance against the U.S., Vietnam’s shaky display against Portugal was rather surprising. With both teams playing for their first points, Portugal showed more fighting spirit and dedication, while Vietnam lacked belief.
WHAT THEY SAID
Mai Duc Chung (Vietnam Coach)
“In the first half, I was not satisfied with the team. I had the strategy that we need to defend tightly, particularly (contain) Portugal’s forward line. But the defenders went to the opponent’s areas and we couldn’t get the ball. I shouted very loudly that they had to come back and defend… from this match, we can see where we are, what our level is.
“We are a very young and inexperienced side. From this tournament, we learnt and we would like to have more lessons. We can learn and make progress from it.
“On behalf of the Vietnam team, I would like to thank the supporters for coming to the game. It was very cold and they were here to support this. Also on television, millions are supporting us. We would like to appreciate all fans.
“We tried our best, but maybe we couldn’t do what we wanted and the opponents were much stronger than us. They did much better than us. We should have defended better and if we had opportunities, we could have attacked.”
WHAT COMES NEXT
Vietnam will next face the 2019 finalists, the Netherlands, in their final group game on Tuesday in Dunedin as they play for pride and hope to end the World Cup on a positive note. A World Cup goal or a point in their final game would be a good consolation for the tournament debutants.
