HA NOI (VNS) – Viet Nam will have to scale a huge mountain in its semi-final match in the women’s football competition at the Asian Games (ASIAD) in Incheon, South Korea today.
In their first ever ASIAD semi-final game, the women’s team will play against world champion Japan, one of Asia’s top four in women’s football, after beating Thailand in the quarter-finals.
Japan entered the semi-finals after beating Hong Kong, 9-0. The other semi-final game will witness a clash between North and South Korea at Munhak Stadium. All games will aired be live on the SCTV15 and ThethaoTV channels beginning at 5 p.m. Vietnamese time.
Coach Mai Duc Chung of Viet Nam still felt happy about beating Thailand and said he knew his task would be extremely difficult. “It’s an extremely tough match for us. Japan are the world and Asian champions. They are at a much higher level than us,” Chung added.
The coach, who has watched all of Japan’s games in this tournament, said his team would definitely play tough defence.
“We will cement our goal and wait for any counter-attack from a team who are better than us in terms of skills, physique and body form. Viet Nam will compete with Japan with only a victory over Thailand behind them, which has made them excited,” he revealed.
“I have asked them to give it their all for the best possible result. My players are not scared of any rivals, including Japan,” Chung added.
At a press briefing yesterday, coach Norio Sasaki of Japan said Viet Nam had several excellent players. He expressed appreciation for the Vietnamese defence, which worked well against Thailand.
He also noticed that Viet Nam were in high spirits following a big win. However, he said he would tell his team to attack strongly to achieve victory.
In their last meeting in the Asian Cup at Thong Nhat Stadium in HCM City last May, Viet Nam lost, 0-4. – VNS
VN face powerhouse Japan in football semis Related image(s)
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