Vietnam thrashed by Netherlands in final World Cup outing

No goals, no points.

That is how Vietnam ended their debut Women’s World Cup campaign after losing 7-0 to the Netherlands in their final group game at Dunedin Stadium in New Zealand on Tuesday.

The five-time Southeast Asian champions were crushed by a highly dominant Dutch side that looked ruthless and hungry to reach the knockouts – and they did so, booking their place in the last-16 as winners of Group E after the United States finished second in that group.

For Vietnam, it was three defeats in as many games, following a 3-0 loss to four-time world champions U.S. – against whom they had a solid defensive display – and a 2-0 defeat to fellow first-timers Portugal in the last game.

Dressed in all white and playing under the lights at the Dunedin Stadium, Vietnam made a promising start as they had two attempts at goal in the opening four minutes. Nguyen Thi Thanh Nha found fellow midfielder Nguyen Thi Bích Thuy with a lovely pass, but Bich Thuy’s shot from inside the box flew over the bar.

But the mighty Dutch took control soon after, taking the lead via forward Lieke Martens in the eighth minute  – their quickest goal at a Women’s World Cup. Martens connected with a brilliant aerial ball from defender Dominique Janssen and then lobbed the ball over goalkeeper Tran Thi Kim Thanh.

The Netherlands, finalists in 2019, made it 2-0 three minutes later as forward Katja Snoeijs got on the scoresheet, finding the net after a brilliant team move as the Vietnamese defenders were left with no answers.

The celebrations for both goals were pretty low-key – almost as if the Netherlands were aiming for a tennis score.

In the 18th minute, Esmee Brugts made it 3-0, bending the ball into the top corner with a sensational effort from outside the box and Jill Rood made it 4-0 in the 23rd minute, volleying the ball into the net after a peach of a cross by Janssen.

The goal rush forced Vietnam coach Mai Duc Chung to make a double substitution in defence even before the half-hour mark, a move that seemed to strengthen the backline in the final few minutes of the first half.

Goalkeeper Kim Thanh also pulled off vital saves, stopping the team from conceding at least three more goals before the half-time whistle, but she could not stop the Dutch from making it 5-0 in the 45th minute.

Kim Thanh pulled off a great save initially to stop a shot from Roord but midfielder Danielle Van De Donk scored on the rebound, wrapping up a ruthless and relentless first-half performance from the Netherlands.

The Dutch had an astonishing 25 attempts at goal in the first half, while Vietnam had only four – once again a reminder of the difference in quality, form and strength between the two countries.

The second half saw Brugts score another worldie, similar to her first-half effort, as she once again found the top corner with her shot from outside the box, with the scoreboard reading 6-0 to the Netherlands in the 57th minute.

Shortly after the goal, Vietnam made two attacking changes, finally bringing on their key player and main striker Huynh Nhu, the only Vietnamese player who plays domestic football overseas.

Martens had a goal ruled out for offside but Roord bagged her second of the night in the 83rd minute, making it 7-0 for the Netherlands – their biggest win in Women’s World Cup history.

The Dutch delight ended with the team having a whopping 42 attempts at goal, while minnows Vietnam had five – none of which found the net. They ended their World Cup campaign with 12 goals conceded and none scored.

Tuesday’s game was also Vietnam’s last under coach Chung, who had already announced that the World Cup would be his last tournament with the team, with whom he had four stints, the current one dating back to 2016.

THINGS WE LEARNED

A shaky defence once again: Just like their performance in the 2-0 defeat to Portugal, Vietnam were once again shaky at the back. The defenders were unable to clear the ball during set pieces and the goalkeeper also was guilty of conceding easy goals in the first 20 minutes.

Dropping Nhu a weird decision: Huynh Nhu’s absence from the starting lineup was a weird move from coach Chung, as fans would have thought that getting a goal in their final World Cup game could have been a consolation gift. She came on in the last half hour but had little impact on the team, which had already suffered a lot by then.

Coach Chung’s era ends on a disappointing note: Coach Chung did the unthinkable by leading Vietnam to their first-ever World Cup qualification but the 73-year-old endured a difficult journey at the tournament as they suffered defeats in all three games, including a thrashing at the hands of the Dutch in the final game. Chung will hope that the team has learnt valuable lessons from their World Cup journey and that his successor can build on that momentum.

WHAT THEY SAID

Mai Duc Chung (Coach)

“We played with the spirit of Vietnam and tried our best, but it is clear that we cannot close the gap between us and the Netherlands.

“The result is normal… Our level is much lower than theirs (the Netherlands) and that result is fine. I was afraid that the gap would be even bigger.

“I am satisfied with the spirit of the team. But we are lower in terms of physical strength, tactics, skills – maybe everything. In the last three games, we have conceded many goals, and our level is low, even compared with Asia.

“The effort has been great and I would like to thank the federation for preparing us, to prepare for this stage, we had matches with strong teams.

“After the tournament, the players will return to Vietnam and they will be good examples for youngsters. We need more tournaments for women’s football so we can have more players in women’s football.

“We played at the World Cup for the first time and that’s a great encouragement for players, even the men.”

WHAT COMES NEXT

With their World Cup adventure done, Vietnam’s next assignment will be the Olympic qualifying phase for the Paris Games next year. They are due to face Uzbekistan, India and Japan in the second round of the qualifiers in October and November later this year.

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