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AFC Women's Asian Cup
The Vietnam head coach never doubted his players’ determination to push for the win, even after India had equalised midway through the second half.
#WAC2026 | Group C: Vietnam 2-1 India
“Although we conceded, we controlled possession for much of both halves,” said Mai. “We just didn’t convert that into a goal earlier. When they (India) equalised, I still had full confidence that we would score again and we found the winner.
“It was a very evenly matched game between the two teams. We are fortunate to win the opening match, which is a big boost for the whole team. During the holiday period, we mostly trained and didn’t have many opportunities to play competitive matches, so starting the tournament with a win is very encouraging.”
“It was a very evenly matched game between the two teams. We are fortunate to win the opening match, which is a big boost for the whole team. During the holiday period, we mostly trained and didn’t have many opportunities to play competitive matches, so starting the tournament with a win is very encouraging.”
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Having taken the lead in the first half through Van Su’s curling effort, Vietnam dominated possession after the break only to concede to a Sanfida Nongrum strike.
The team, said Mai, drew energy from the roars of their supporters, which helped them regain momentum and push for the winner.
“Today’s victory was very special and I would like to thank our supporters who came to the stadium to cheer for the team. Their encouragement gave us extra motivation to keep pushing.
“Even when we conceded, the support from the Vietnamese fans lifted our spirits and inspired us to fight on. That energy helped us find another goal.”
The team, said Mai, drew energy from the roars of their supporters, which helped them regain momentum and push for the winner.
“Today’s victory was very special and I would like to thank our supporters who came to the stadium to cheer for the team. Their encouragement gave us extra motivation to keep pushing.
“Even when we conceded, the support from the Vietnamese fans lifted our spirits and inspired us to fight on. That energy helped us find another goal.”
For India it was a case of a missed opportunity but head coach Amelia Valverde highlighted the positives from her side’s second-half performance.
"I’m very proud of the team,” said Valverde. “Emotions are still a bit unsettled right now but our first 30 minutes were not our best and they managed to score early. However, we settled ourselves in the second half and were able to get back on level terms."
"I’m very proud of the team,” said Valverde. “Emotions are still a bit unsettled right now but our first 30 minutes were not our best and they managed to score early. However, we settled ourselves in the second half and were able to get back on level terms."
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“In many moments, I felt we were even better than them. In the end, we lost, which is disappointing but I’m very pleased with how the team progressed in the second half and how we improved as the match went on.
“I saw a team that ran hard for all 90 minutes. I didn’t see anyone showing signs of fatigue when some of our opponents were struggling with fitness at times.
“In the end, the (winning) goal we conceded came from an error on our part. There’s a lot to learn from this game, particularly about staying attentive in key moments. We will take these lessons forward and continue to improve as we move ahead in the tournament.”
“I saw a team that ran hard for all 90 minutes. I didn’t see anyone showing signs of fatigue when some of our opponents were struggling with fitness at times.
“In the end, the (winning) goal we conceded came from an error on our part. There’s a lot to learn from this game, particularly about staying attentive in key moments. We will take these lessons forward and continue to improve as we move ahead in the tournament.”
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