Tashkent [Uzbekistan], October 28 (ANI): Indian soccer head coach Thomas Dennerby had again and again pressured the significance of the matches in opposition to Vietnam and Uzbekistan within the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Olympic Qualifiers Round 2.
“These are the teams that are on more equal footing with us, and we have to try and win both matches,” he had mentioned after the Japan defeat as quoted by an All India Football Federation (AIFF) press launch.
The first of these challenges has arrived. Vietnam await the Blue Tigresses on Sunday, October 29, 2023, on the Lokomotiv Stadium in Tashkent at 15:30 IST. It’s a do-or-die scenario for either side. Like India, Vietnam additionally went down of their opening match on Thursday – a 0-1 loss to hosts Uzbekistan on the Bunyodkor Stadium. A win for both facet will hold their Paris 2024 hopes alive, whereas a draw may be suicidal for each.
Vietnamese girls’s soccer has soared to new heights within the latest previous. They certified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the primary time after successful the play-offs on the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in India final 12 months. The Mai Duc Chung-coached facet additionally gained their fourth straight Southeast Asian Games gold medal a couple of weeks earlier than their World Cup sojourn in Australia and New Zealand. However, on the expanded 32-team competitors, Vietnam misplaced all three matches (in opposition to the USA, Portugal and Netherlands) with out scoring a objective.
Like India, Vietnam additionally conceded seven in opposition to Japan on the Asian Games in China final month, a defeat which knocked them out within the group stage. But that was a second-string Japanese workforce, which went on to win gold. Vietnam have introduced kind of the same contingent to Tashkent. India had been additionally eradicated from the Asian Games after two slim losses to Chinese Taipei and Thailand, and Dennerby believes Vietnam will pose the same type of problem tomorrow.
“I think tomorrow’s game is going to be very similar to the ones at the Asian Games. I think the three teams apart from Japan here are quite even. Vietnam lost 0-1 to Uzbekistan. Hopefully, we have the best day tomorrow and on Wednesday (against Uzbekistan) as well.”Playing in opposition to Japan within the first match was by no means going to be straightforward. Neither is selecting yourselves up from the loss and getting ready for the subsequent sport, however the Blue Tigresses have now left it behind and solely have three factors on their thoughts. “Of course, it was a little bit tough after the loss against Japan. We let a couple of goals too many. But we have to leave that now and look forward to tomorrow. We came here with the aim of being the runner-up and to do that, we definitely need to win.”But after their loss, Vietnam want this win as a lot as India, and as such, it will be one cracking affair on the 8,000-capacity Lokomotiv Stadium on the outskirts of the Uzbek capital.
India has confronted Vietnam 5 instances, dropping 4 and drawing 1-1 within the final assembly in a pleasant in Hanoi in 2019. Assistant coach Maymol Rocky, who was then the top coach, shared, “Back then in opposition to Vietnam, we performed with virtually the same workforce. But we had been younger and a lot of the ladies had been new to the workforce. I believe now we arein a greater place because the ladies have been enjoying for the nationwide workforce for 3 to 4 years now.
“I think we have a better chance tomorrow to get our first win against them. They are ranked 34 but I feel that will not matter for tomorrow’s match. We are more mature and one step ahead now,” Rocky added.
Adding extra perception on the Southeast Asian opponents, Dennerby mentioned, “In one way, they are similar to Japan as they like to play the short passes. They play the ball over the field and have the quality to go central. They also love to send diagonal crosses in behind the defence line. The good thing for us is that they don’t do it with the exact same quality as Japan.”Something Dennerby has repeatedly talked about just lately is the psychological facet of issues. Translating the boldness from the coaching pitch to the stadium on matchday is what’s required to take the Blue Tigresses’ sport to the subsequent degree. Keeping your thoughts free and enjoying with a cool head is the Swede’s message to the women forward of the 2 vital video games.
“The most vital factor is that we have to imagine. Just play. It’s a soccer sport. It’s not about life and loss of life. You may see within the final sport we did not play freely. We do not have to enter any sport with worry. Always respect your opponents however be fearless.
“We need to be ready to play the ball around in the team, and not just send long balls and lose possession. We need to be ready to play a good attacking game,” Dennerby concluded. (ANI)