Japanese Coach: 'Vietnam Team Played Well, but China is Very...'

Coach Okiyama Masahiko praised the Vietnamese U20 women's players, despite the loss in their opening match of the AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup 2026.

The Vietnamese U20 women's team had an unfavorable start in Group A of the AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup 2026 when they lost 0-3 to the Chinese U20 women's team. The opponent demonstrated superiority for most of the match, and this result was somewhat anticipated.

Although they did not secure points in the opening match, Coach Okiyama Masahiko still highly valued the competitive spirit and discipline of his players, while affirming that China is currently one of the top teams in Asia.

The Japanese strategist shared: "The Vietnamese U20 women's team started well in the match against the Chinese U20 women's team. Vietnam showed determination and sharpness in their play. In the second half, the whole team continued to strive with high fighting spirit. However, the opponent was the Chinese U20 women's team, a team with a very strong foundation, belonging to the top group in Asia. We also made some mistakes in the first two conceded goals.

We aimed for solid defense before counter-attacking. The team executed this approach quite well. Even after conceding goals, we did not collapse. The players played with discipline and adhered to the planned tactics. China did not defeat Vietnam easily. They had many players suffering from cramps."

In the second match, the Vietnamese U20 women's team will face the Thai U20 women's team on April 4th, a match considered crucial in the competition for the second-place position in Group A.

Coach Okiyama stated the team will prioritize physical recovery and continue pursuing a defensive-counterattacking style: “For now, we will focus on recovery to ensure the best physical condition for the players. In the match against Thailand, the team will maintain the defensive-counterattacking approach, striving to regain possession from the opponent and effectively deploy counterattacking situations.”

According to the tournament format, the top two teams from each group and the two best third-place teams will qualify for the quarter-finals. This also provides a basis for the Vietnamese U20 women's team to hope for competing for a ticket to advance in the AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup 2026.

The match between the Vietnamese U20 women's team and the Thai U20 women's team will take place at 20:00 on April 4th.