Vietnamese players training hard in preparation for World Cup

Coach Mai Duc Chung puts his belief in the national best 23 players who played key role in Viet Nam's World Cup qualification and two recent SEA Games tournaments as well as new faces who were believed the future of the country.

In the Australia/New Zealand World Cup, Viet Nam are in Group E with defending champions the US, France 2019's runner-up the Netherland and European representative Portugal.

Facing with such tough rivals will represent a monumental milestone in the nation's sporting history. The clash with the US at Eden Park will be the first time a Vietnamese men's or women's team has competed in a FIFA World Cup.

Although their chance to qualify for the second stage for the Southeast Asian squad is quite small, coach Chung and his players keep comfortable mind, thinking about positive results.

He said Viet Nam will not be scared of elite opponents because his side will be fuelled by a desire to make their country's people proud.

"I am honoured and proud for myself and my whole team as we have qualified for the World Cup. We've been looking forward to this moment for a long time. We have missed chances to go to the World Cup before, but this time we made it. Our dream has come true," said Chung.

"When encountering very strong teams, we are not stressed at all because playing against such great and famous players is very rare for us. We are very excited. Of course, we will also have good preparation, especially in terms of physicality. If we want to show our qualities on the field, we must have physical strength and agility."

In preparation for the global largest football festival, Chung and his team had training courses in Japan and Germany where they improved their fitness and sharpen their skills.

"The courses helped to lift our physique and technique really well. However we still need to strengthen our endurance and focus that would be ready at the World Cup so that we can maintain our strength over 90 minutes," said Chung.

"We will also, of course, think about the tactical formation, and make it suitable for each match. We can't kick the ball high and long. It's about passing and running. We have to apply [our philosophy] and handle situations quickly."

The 72-year-old coach said in the debut at the World Cup Viet Nam did not set high ambitions, but learnt a lot from others.

"It's a chance for us to compete with very good opponents, and we can learn from their experience, skills and techniques. We also have to be mentally strong. We will respect all the competitors, but we are not scared.

"The Vietnamese are very enthusiastic and passionate when it comes to football. When our teams win, people will go on to the streets cheering! These images stimulate our spirit. When we raise our flag and sing the national anthem at the World Cup, nothing could make us happier."

Viet Nam will have two friendly matches against the hosts on July 10 and Spain on July 14, their final tests prior to the historic campaign.

The women's World Cup will be from July 20 to August 20. The opening match will be between the co-host New Zealand and Norway at the Eden Park in Auckland. The final is scheduled at the Stadium Australia in Sydney, Australia,

Viet Nam will play first match with the US on July 22. Their next matches are against Portugal on July 27 and the Netherlands on August 1./.