Yesterday, 24/2 (Vietnam time), Vietnam U20 women’s team had their first practice match in Tashkent (Uzbekistan). The result was a 1-1 draw for Coach Akira Ijiri’s students against the host team Uzbekistan, despite playing in snowy weather and temperatures below 0°C.
With a physically stronger team and accustomed to the local climate, the U20 Uzbekistan girls took the initiative to control the ball and put pressure on the goal defended by goalkeeper Danh Thi Kieu My. However, just minutes later, the Vietnam U20 women’s team gradually regained control of the game and organized several attacks on the opponent’s half. In the 14th minute, Cam Ly led a dribble down but her subsequent shot was unsuccessful.
In the 21st minute, from a corner kick, the U20 Uzbekistan women’s team scored the opening goal. Nevertheless, Coach Akira Ijiri’s students remained calm, persistent, and stuck to their tactics. Thanks to this, just 6 minutes later, Phuong Anh managed a long shot, bringing the game back to square one.
The following minutes saw several dangerous situations created by both teams, but no additional goals were scored. The first half ended with a score of 1-1.
Moving into the second half, Coach Akira Ijiri and his assistants made almost complete lineup changes, only keeping captain Le Thi Bao Tram and midfielder Vu Thi Hoa. Players like Ngoc Minh Chuyen, Tran Nhat Lan, Le Hong Yeu, Hoang Thi Ngoc Anh, Luu Hoang Van, etc., were brought on. Kieu My was also substituted to give goalkeeper Le Thi Thu a chance to train.
With these changes, the Vietnam U20 women’s team played more proactively and managed the ball more effectively. In the 55th minute, Ngoc Minh Chuyen made a breakthrough towards the opponent’s goal but failed to defeat the Uzbekistan goalkeeper. The second half, played under heavier snowfall, posed additional challenges for the players. However, opportunities continued to arise, especially a penalty situation in the latter half of the game. Unfortunately, Vu Thi Hoa was unable to capitalize on the opportunity to increase the score to 2-1 for Vietnam U20. The match ended with a 1-1 draw.
After the match, team captain Le Thi Bao Tram shared, “In this match, the whole team tried their best despite just having gone through a long journey and feeling quite tired. My teammates and I will have about 10 days to prepare and get used to the weather. This is a challenge for us, but we will try our best.”
“Today, the team was able to attack and defend according to the tactical patterns we learned and prepared in Vietnam, allowing us to score. We will try to improve our defense to prepare for playing against stronger opponents soon,” Bao Tram added.
The Vietnam U20 women’s team will have another practice match at 17:00 on 27/2 (Vietnam time) before officially entering the tournament. As the only country in the group without cold, snowy weather, these two practice matches against host Uzbekistan will be an important opportunity for the players to adapt and gain experience before facing strong opponents like Japan, DPR Korea, and China.
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