Chuong Thi Kieu: 'Vietnam must defend better against Portugal'
Yesterday, Chuong Thi Kieu and the whole team watched the match Portugal lost to the Dutch runner-up 0-1. According to the 28-year-old central defender, although there were no points, Vietnam's upcoming opponent partly showed remarkable blood, technique and spirit. Similar to Vietnam, Portugal is also a rookie in the World Cup.
"Against Portugal, the team needs to try to play better defensively," commented Chuong Thi Kieu. "Only when we can do that, will the attacks be able to safely deploy the ball, find opportunities to score. The most important thing for us is to be confident, to play with determination. Portugal is also a rookie, but having reached the final round, every team is strong, regardless of new or old. The most important thing is to be confident and determined to play."
In the opening match, Vietnam also lost, with a score of 0-3 against the defending champion USA. According to Chuong Thi Kieu, after the game, coach Mai Duc Chung had a meeting with the team, reminded about the situations where the ball was lost and asked the players to hold the ball more firmly to be able to coordinate with each other.
Chuong Thi Kieu was once a pillar of Vietnam's defense. However, she has not played for more than a year due to surgery to treat a torn ligament. Midfielder from Kien Giang was kicked into the field by coach Mai Duc Chung at the end of the second half of the match against the US.
She said she has not completely recovered from her injury but is very confident when entering the competition. "In the game against the US, when I was launched on the field, at first I was still quite shy. But the next time I could improve. I haven't played for more than a year, so my feeling of the ball cannot reach 100%."
The Vietnam - Portugal match will take place in the evening time frame, at 19:30 on July 27 local time (14:30 on the same day, Hanoi time). At that time, the temperature in New Zealand will be low. However, the central defender of Vietnam confirmed, this is not so important because the team has had a few weeks to get used to the weather. Currently, the players are focusing on increasing their fitness and preparing for the next match.
The team will practice at Fred Taylor Park (Auckland) today and tomorrow, before moving to Halminton on the morning of July 26 and practicing a training session at Porritt Stadium in the afternoon of the same day. Currently, Nguyen Thi Thanh Nha is able to return to practice, after being absent from the army due to health problems.
