Chiina Kamiya opened the scoring in the 12th minute with a powerful strike from nearly 20 meters, before Yuzuho Shiokoshi doubled Japan’s advantage seven minutes later with a low shot that took a slight deflection off Hoang Thi Loan.

Vietnam managed to keep the score at 2-0 until the closing stages of the first half, a period coach Hoang Van Phuc said showed his players could execute their defensive plan against a vastly stronger opponent.

“We knew Japan were a very strong team, so our approach was to defend, keep the number of goals conceded to a minimum and wait for opportunities to counterattack,” Phuc said. “The players worked hard and there were periods when they did their jobs well. We had conceded only two goals until near the end of the first half.”

The match then turned sharply against Vietnam.

In the 43rd minute, Cu Thi Huynh Nhu headed the ball into her own net while attempting to clear a Japanese cross, extending the hosts’ lead to 3-0.

Phuc said the own goal had a significant psychological impact on his players.

“Huynh Nhu’s own goal in the 43rd minute affected the whole team mentally,” he said. “The players lost concentration, giving our opponents opportunities to score more goals.”

Megu Hamada headed home Japan’s fourth in first-half stoppage time, sending Vietnam into the break four goals down.

Japan maintained their dominance after the restart. Kamiya scored her second of the match in the 52nd minute with a close-range finish to make it 5-0.

Vietnam continued to search for opportunities despite the mounting deficit. Hai Yen attempted a long-range shot in the 56th minute, while Ngan Thi Van Su drove into the Japanese penalty area five minutes later but was unable to get a shot away.

Japan added three more goals in the closing stages. Hanon Nishio headed home from a corner in the 78th minute before captain Yui Narumiya beat three Vietnamese players and curled a shot into the top corner three minutes later.

Hikaru Yumura completed the scoring in second-half stoppage time, sealing an emphatic 8-0 victory for the hosts.

Despite the scale of the defeat, Phuc said playing elite East Asian opposition could help Vietnam’s players develop.

“This was a very useful match for the Vietnam women’s team and gave the players more experience,” he said. “What I am always working toward is gradually improving the players’ ability to control possession when facing strong East Asian teams such as Japan, China or North Korea.”

The result followed Vietnam’s opening defeat to Chinese Taipei and leaves their Asian Games campaign hanging on their final Group E encounter with Southeast Asian rival Thailand.

Under the tournament format, the top two teams in each group advance to the quarterfinals, along with the two best third-placed teams.

That means Vietnam could still have a route into the knockout stage if they defeat Thailand in their final group match.

Phuc said his immediate priority was getting the players physically ready for that decisive encounter.

“The important thing now is for the Vietnam women’s team to recover physically as quickly as possible and be ready for the decisive match against Thailand,” he said.

Starting lineups

Vietnam: Kim Thanh, Thu Thuong, Nguyen Thi Hoa, Thai Thi Thao, Hoang Thi Loan, Thu Xuan, Cu Thi Huynh Nhu, Truc Huong, Vu Thi Hoa, Van Su, Thanh Nha.

Japan: Natsumi Asano, Yui Narumiya, Chiina Kamiya, Ai Kuwahara, Yuzuho Shiokoshi, Juri Ito, Saori Takarada, Hikaru Yumura, Fukina Mizuno, Ai Tsujisawa, Megu Hamada.

Dai Nam