SEA Games 33: Coach Mai Đức Chung pleased with a perfect opening match

Speaking at the post-match press conference, the experienced strategist shared: “The SEA Games opening match, whether men's or women's football, is never easy. Today, the Vietnam women's team overcame Malaysia — a team that has been improving and recently had a good result against Bangladesh. I always remind the players to stay focused, and fortunately, we secured the win.”

According to Coach Mai Đức Chung, this victory also holds important significance in terms of squad health. He said: “We had no injuries and no yellow cards, which ensures the strongest lineup for the next match. That is extremely necessary.”

He also revealed the carefully planned personnel strategy: “I arranged a lineup combining young players with experienced ones, rather than using a single group entirely. My requirement today was to score many goals, and the players performed very well.”

When asked about continuing to push for more goals after reaching a 7-0 score, Coach Chung candidly stated: “In football, every coach wants their team to score as many goals as possible, especially when the group still has many competitive opponents. If we can score more, I always hope the team will do so.”

Although there was only a small group of Vietnamese supporters in the stands, Coach Mai Đức Chung said they provided tremendous encouragement. He shared: “They cheered enthusiastically. I was truly moved hearing many fans call my name. Thank you to the supporters for always backing the Vietnam women's team and me personally.”

The star of the match, Thái Thị Thảo — who scored a hat-trick in Vietnam's 7-0 win — affirmed that the entire team entered the game with high concentration: “This was the first match at SEA Games 33, so the whole team was constantly reminded to stay focused. I’m very happy to have fulfilled the coaching staff’s expectations and helped the team secure the victory.”

Regarding her first hat-trick for the national team, she modestly said: “I was lucky to score three goals. It is the result of the good play and tactics created by the whole team. This motivates us to aim for the upcoming matches.”