The Viet Nam women's football team is here, and this is not a friendly "neighborhood visit".
I remember the last time they came to Yongchuan, it was a tragic "neighbor quarrel". In 2016, the Viet Nam women's football team lost 0:8 to the Chinese women's football team, setting the largest score difference between the two teams. This team, ranked 37th in the world and 6th in Asia, can be described as "ten defeats in ten games" for the Chinese women's football team. However, don't think that this time they are here to "give points".
The Viet Nam women's football team has not been idle lately. In May this year, they brought back 72-year-old coach Medbell, breaking the world record for the oldest person to coach the women's national team. Since the end of the Viet Nam Women's National Women's Football Championship in early August, the whole team has been training in Hanoi and went to the Czech Republic for two weeks in early September. During this period, they played three warm-up matches against RB Leipzig in Germany, Pardubice in the Czech Republic and Vitoria Viktoria in Plzen, with 2 losses and 1 win.
Interestingly, the Viet Nam women's football team and the Chinese women's football team are simply "twins". also faces a talent gap and also relies on veterans around 30 years old. Viet Nam captain Hoang, now 32, was Viet Nam's first overseas player to return to the country after two seasons in the Portugal Women's Super League. In order to cope with the talent shortage, Viet Nam also recruited four young players from the U20 national team this time.
But don't underestimate this "twin". Although they are still "small characters" on the Asian stage, they are "hegemons" in Southeast Asia. The goal of Viet Nam's women's football team is clear: to dominate the ASEAN Women's Championship and the Southeast Asian Games. This time they came to Yongchuan, they did not come for a "friendly visit".
Speaking of which, the Yongchuan Women's Football Four Nations Invitational Tournament is really an "old friend". Since the first session in 2011, it has been held for 9 sessions. The "big names" of United States, Sweden, Canada, England, Brazil and Denmark have all visited. It was only suspended from 2020 to 2023 for some reason, and it will be restarted this year.
Viet Nam women's football is no stranger to this competition. They came twice in 2016 and 2018, but the results... Ahem, let's not mention it. But who knows? Maybe they'll surprise us this time? After all, football is round, and the outcome of the game is always full of suspense.
However, having said that, there are really a lot of "common languages" between Viet Nam women's football and Chinese women's football. Both teams have experienced the "loneliness" of not having an international A-level tournament for 9 months. Now that they are regrouping, they all want to show their skills in this invitational tournament.
There was also an interesting episode in the Viet Nam team. In the first Women's AFC Champions League group stage a few days ago, we saw the figure of Viet Nam national team captain Huang Ru. The Ho Chi Minh City women's football team, which she plays, participated in the tournament. This "big sister" is the anchor of the Viet Nam women's football team.
Speaking of which, I have to mention an interesting phenomenon. Viet Nam women's football seems to rely particularly on those "30+" players. This can't help but remind people of some "older leftover women" blind date groups... Oh no, I mean, it reflects that the Viet Nam women's youth system needs to be strengthened.
It seems that this trip to Yongchuan is not only an opportunity for the Viet Nam women's football team to test its strength, but also a good opportunity to reserve talents for the future. So the question is: do you think this time the Viet Nam women's football team can be a shame and give the Chinese women's football team a "surprise"?
In any case, this "neighborhood fight" is sure to be exciting. After all, who doesn't want to show their best in front of their "neighbors"? Let's wait and see what kind of sparks will be sparked in this battle of Yongchuan!