FUTSAL – VIETNAM are looking to improve on their fourth-place finish in the 2018 AFC Women’s Futsal Asian Cup, while Japan, runners-up in both previous editions, are aiming for nothing less than the title.
Vietnam finished top of Group B, having defeated a battling Hong Kong, China on the opening day, and the Philippines.
They concluded their group stage with a tepid 0-0 stalemate against defending champions Iran but coach Dinh Hoang said his team will be in the right frame of mind to play Japan.
“We played to conserve our energy against Iran and now we will shift our attention to prepare to face Japan,” he said. “We don’t have anyone injured and so we will have a full squad against Japan.”
A friendly in April ended 4-1 in favour of Japan but Hoang said Vietnam will go into Tuesday’s match having thoroughly analysed the East Asian side.
“We will analyse our opponents and come up with the best strategy to defeat them.”
Japan started their campaign with a 5-2 win against Indonesia. However, the two-time runners-up were made to sweat in their second game against Bahrain, who fought back from three goals down before Japan ultimately triumphed 3-2. The East Asians were left stunned in their final Group C tie after Thailand fought back to register a 3-1 victory.
Head coach Takehiro Suga called on his players to refocus on their target of winning the title for the first time.
“We need to stay focused for the next match and come together as a team. Our goal is to be champions of Asia, and we must keep that mindset. We need to play with a strong spirit in the next match,” he said
“Vietnam has talented, speedy players, so we know it will be a tough, difficult game. We’ll focus on making small adjustments, but we won’t change our style. We believe in ourselves and will concentrate on our own performance.”
Meanwhile China will continue their hunt for glory on Tuesday when they take on Indonesia in the last eight.
The first-time hosts have been unstoppable at the Hohhot Sports Centre so far.
China will have reasons to be wary of a dangerous Indonesian side, who they defeated 4-0 at the NSDF Women’s Futsal Championship in September 2024 and then 3-2 in a friendly last month.
The Southeast Asians gave Japan a mighty scare in their opening Group C match – a 5-2 defeat – before holding Thailand, the highest Fifa-ranked side in Asia, to a 0-0 draw and then batting Bahrain aside 5-1 to advance as the best third-placed team.
Head coach Luis Estrela noted their improvement throughout the group stage and asserted that they hold no fear for the quarter-finals, which they have reached for the second edition in a row.
“Our strength is our team spirit,” the 46-year-old said. “We will respect our opponent, but we believe very much in our capacity, in our work… And I promise to the people of Indonesia that in each game, we will play for the win.”
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