Chinese Taipei, Thailand, and Vietnam will have no margin for error when they clash in a round-robin playoff to determine the fifth team to earn an automatic slot to the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia/New Zealand 2023.
The three losing AFC Women's Asian Cup India 2022 quarter-finalists square off with the first fixture pitting Thailand against Vietnam on Wednesday with the Thais playing Chinese Taipei two days later. The playoff will conclude with Chinese Taipei facing Vietnam on Sunday.
Despite their heartbreaking penalties defeat to the Philippines in the quarter-finals, Chinese Taipei head coach Echigo Kazuo is hopeful of his team's chances in the playoffs.
"We can't change what happened," said Kazuo. "However, after the match against the Philippines, I told the players to switch their focus to the next two games. The players are highly motivated and really want to play in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup."
Captain Wang Hsiang-Huei is confident Chinese Taipei can bounce back from their quarter-final heartbreak.
"We've not recovered from that defeat against the Philippines," said Wang. "It was not easy to lose under those circumstances. The result was not what we wanted and now we are determined to win our remaining matches."Thailand assistant coach Natsuko Todoroki said the players are motivated and prepared for the playoffs.
"Although we lost our last game, we still have a fighting chance to qualify for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup," said Todoroki. "The players are motivated. We are in constant communication with head coach Miyo Okamoto on the best strategy to use."
Forward Irravadee Markis believes Thailand stand a strong chance of qualifying for their third FIFA World Cup.
"Playing the last few matches has been beneficial for our team. If we keep to our game plan and continue our approach, I'm sure we can win. Even though Thailand have featured in two FIFA World Cups, I've never played in one. It's certainly a good exposure for the team, especially the younger players," said Markis.Vietnam head coach Mai Duc Chung, meanwhile, is equally confident his players will qualify for their first FIFA Women's World Cup.
"The players have worked hard to be here and I believe we will continue playing our best to achieve our goal of reaching the FIFA Women's World Cup next year," said Mai.
"Qualifying for the FIFA Women's World Cup will be a huge achievement for us and Vietnamese football. We've had good preparation and the team is ready to do their best. We gained plenty of experience playing against higher ranked teams like Japan and I can only see the players improving," he added.
The winners of the playoffs will join the four qualified teams - China PR, Japan, Korea Republic and Philippines in the Finals, with Australia also through as the co-hosts.
The remaining two teams can still qualify for the FIFA Women's World Cup through the Inter-Confederation playoffs.
( With inputs from ANI )
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