Vietnam to play Thailand in U17 friendly match

HA NOI — Vietnam and Thailand will play each other in a friendly match for U17 female players on April 3 in Ha Noi.

The match is one of the activities to celebrate the 50th year of establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries (1976-2026).

It is jointly organised by the Vietnam Football Federation, the Football Association of Thailand, the People's Police Sports Association and the two sides' friendship associations.

“I would like to express my deepest condolences to those Southeast Asian countries, including Thailand, that have suffered damage from the recent earthquake. I wish everyone peace," said Coach Okiyama Masahiko of Vietnam in a press conference on April 2 in Ha Noi.

"This match will be an opportunity to strengthen the football relationship between Thailand and Vietnam." 

Masahiko only signed a contract to take charge of the team recently and has only been in charge of training his players for about a month.

"Although we have not been together for long, through training, I initially assessed their abilities. They seriously practise and have their strengths," Masahiko said about his 24 players.

"The match with Thailand will be an important test for my players. Based on the data of this match, we will come up with a training plan to prepare for the upcoming Asian U17 women's qualifiers, and obviously, we want a win," he said.

Taking part in the briefing, midfielder Hoang Thi Giang said Vietnamese players were excited for the game and they were looking forward to this, their first match of the year.

It would be her first time competing against Thailand, and although they did not know much about their rivals, the players would give it their all.

On their side, coach Thidarat Wiwasukhu of Thailand said: “Thai players are lacking experience, so this match will help them all develop and will be a first step for the next friendly tournaments.

"The team were not affected by the earthquake, and the game had been planned for a long time, so they all still decided to fly to Vietnam. We will try our best and play in a spirit of fair play and sportsmanship."

The match will be at 3 pm at the People's Police Academy and livestreamed on Youtube VFF Channel.

After the match, the two teams will take part in some cultural exchange activities.

Thai Ambassador to Vietnam Urawadee Sriphiromya, Chairman of the Thailand-Vietnam Friendship Association Sanan Angubolkul and FAT President Nualphan Lamsam (Madam Pang) will be there to watch the match. 

They will be joined by VFF leaders and Nguyen Van Thanh, chairman of the Vietnam-Thailand Friendship Association. 

Viet Nam News

Asia News Network