Vietnam U20 Women's Team Narrowly Lost to Chinese Team, Japanese Coach Satisfied

During their training camp in China to prepare for the AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup 2026, the Vietnam U20 women's team played their first friendly match against Beijing Women's Football Club on March 10th, losing 0-1.

Against opponents with superior physique and stamina, the Vietnam U20 women's players started proactively, organized a tight playstyle, and diligently executed attacking strategies. However, in the first half, the opposing team capitalized on an opportunity to score the opening goal, taking a 1-0 lead.

In the second half, the Vietnam U20 women's team pushed their formation higher, actively seeking an equalizer. Despite creating several notable opportunities, Coach Okiyama Masahiko's players could not penetrate Beijing Women's Club's defense. The match concluded with a 1-0 victory for the home side.

Evaluating the match, head coach Okiyama Masahiko stated that the players demonstrated a positive competitive spirit and showed many improvements while playing with great effort, particularly in organizing defense quite well.

"In the early stage of the match, the team conceded a goal but quickly adapted to the pace of the game and showed clear progress during the match itself. Counter-attacking situations were deployed, with several fairly clear opportunities that were not converted into goals.

Overall, the team displayed a good competitive spirit and executed the tactical plan quite well. The whole team is implementing the playstyle set by the coaching staff," Coach Okiyama Masahiko shared.

Regarding the opponent, the Japanese coach assessed Beijing Women's Football Club as a team with fast speed, good technique, and possessing an impressive physical foundation.

According to the plan, the Vietnam U20 women's team will continue with two more friendly matches to refine their skills.

On March 12th, the team will face a women's club from South Korea, and on March 14th, they will play against a women's club from China.

After concluding the training camp, on March 15th, the entire team will return to Vietnam and relocate their training base to Ho Chi Minh City to continue the final preparation phase before departing for the tournament.

In the final two-week sprint, Coach Okiyama Masahiko's team is scheduled to have two high-quality friendly matches against the Uzbekistan U20 women's team on March 24th and 27th.

On March 29th, the Vietnam U20 women's team will depart to Bangkok (Thailand) to participate in the AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup 2026 Finals. In the tournament, Vietnam U20 women's team is in Group A alongside China U20 women's team, host Thailand, and Bangladesh.

According to the match schedule, Coach Okiyama Masahiko's team will successively face China U20 women's team on April 1st, Thailand on April 4th, and Bangladesh on April 7th.