Vietnam 1-0 Jiangsu: Strategic Win or Overhyped Friendly Result Ahead of ASIAD?

The entire press room fell silent when I asked: 'Coach Hoang Van Phuc, are you gambling the future of the national team on 90 minutes in China?' — The 1-0 win over Jiangsu is not what I wanted to say, but I had to say it. After 49 years of following football, I've come to realize that a small victory can become the most dangerous sedative for the Vietnam women's national team. When Hai Yen put the ball into the Jiangsu net in the 14th minute, I saw the entire stadium light up with hope. But I also saw something many people missed: that goal came from a gap in the opponent's defense, not from a systematically constructed play. And that's the real problem. Hai Yen scored the only goal in the 14th minute against Jiangsu. That's the first statistic everyone sees. But what interests me is: after that 14th minute, how many chances did Vietnam create? The answer worries me — almost none. The Vietnam women's team chose to play deep defensive football, waiting for counter-attack opportunities, and when there were no counter-attack opportunities, they just... defended more. I won't deny the value of keeping a clean sheet. A good goalkeeper is the foundation of any victory. But when your team only has one goal from the 14th minute and can't create any other threats in the remaining 76 minutes, that's not tactics — that's incompetence disguised as discipline. Coach Hoang Van Phuc substituted 10 players from the 61st to the 87th minute. Many call this 'evaluating squad depth.' I call it 'open secret.' When you substitute 10 players in one match, you're saying: this match doesn't matter. But wait — if this match doesn't matter, why did you keep the starting XI for the first 60 minutes to 'test tactics'? Something doesn't add up here, and I think Coach Phuc knows it. I've watched many matches of the Vietnam women's national team. From the 1990s, when women's football was still an unfamiliar concept in Vietnam, to today, as we prepare for ASIAD 20. And I can say with certainty: the Vietnam women's national team has improved dramatically in fitness, discipline, and defensive organization. But that improvement comes at a cost — creativity in attack. The low-block combined with counter-attack isn't bad. It's a style that has helped many smaller teams beat bigger ones. But there's a prerequisite: you must have players who can make a difference in those counter-attacks. And here's where I must talk about Hai Yen. Hai Yen is the only goal scorer. She's the brightest star in the current squad, and also the only one who can score from a chance. But that's exactly the problem. When your entire attacking system depends on one person, you're building a house on a single pillar. If opponents at ASIAD 20 — for example, Japan or South Korea — figure this out and crowd Hai Yen out, who will score instead? The match against Jiangsu didn't provide an answer. And that's why I'm concerned. After 60 minutes with the starting XI, Coach Hoang Van Phuc substituted 10 players. 10 players. That means he didn't have enough time to evaluate whether the substitutes could replace Hai Yen. Or — and this is what I suspect — he already knew the answer but didn't want to admit it. I don't want to say this victory is meaningless. No, it has meaning. It shows the Vietnam women's national team can organize good defense, keep a clean sheet, and capitalize on opponent mistakes. But it also shows excessive dependence on one individual and a defensive-minded style of play. And this is when I must talk about the next match: Vietnam will face the China women's national team on September 9. The China women's national team is nothing like Jiangsu — they are one of the strongest teams in Asia. If Vietnam approaches that match with the mindset of 'keep a clean sheet and wait for counter-attacks,' I fear the result will be very different. The 1-0 win over Jiangsu is a victory. But it's not a victory of progress — it's a victory of safety. And in football, safety for too long can become complacency. I've seen that too many times in 49 years following this sport. People will tell me: 'Grandma, there's still 1 week until ASIAD, and the match against China too, why worry now?' And I'll answer: precisely because there's still time that I must speak now. When ASIAD starts, it will be too late to change. And I don't want to see the Vietnam women's national team enter the tournament with a strategy that even the players don't fully believe in. Hai Yen scored. But the real question isn't 'who scored' — it's 'who will score when Hai Yen can't.' And I still haven't found the answer from this match. Perhaps the match against China will tell me. Or perhaps I'll have to wait until ASIAD. At 65, I still stay up until 3 AM watching football. Not because I can't sleep — but because I know the most important moments often come when no one expects them. And I don't want to miss any moment of the Vietnam women's national team, good or bad. The match against Jiangsu has ended. Vietnam won 1-0. But the real story is just beginning. And I'll follow each chapter, with all the criticism and love that someone who has devoted half a century to football can have.