Vietnam will attend the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the very first time next year after a 2-1 victory against Chinese Taipei in the play-offs of the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup in India on Sunday.

Having beaten Thailand 3-0 on Friday, Chinese Taipei entered the tie only needing a draw with Vietnam, who had defeated the same Southeast Asian rivals 2-0 in their encounter on Wednesday.

With the goal of winning in mind, the Vietnamese women’s team played offense from the beginning. 

Their aggressive start earned them the opener as early as the sixth minute as Chuong Thi Kieu accurately nodded home from Tuyet Dung’s corner.

The goal buoyed Vietnam, whose net, however, was shaken in the 20th minute after a wrong pass by Phuong Thao.

Chinese Taipei’s brightest star, Su Yu-Hsuan, relayed the pass to Chen Yen-Ping who kicked the ball into goal, but to their team’s disappointment as the ball had crossed the touchline first.

Neither side netted any goal in the remainder of the first half but Chinese Taipei started the second in a brilliant manner as Su leveled on 50 minutes.

Wu Kai-Ching ran past many Vietnamese defenders before passing the ball down for Su Yu-Hsuan to finish home.

But only six minutes later, Vietnam regained the lead as Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy brilliantly controlled Thai Thi Thao’s lob into the box before her powerful left-footed shot found the opponents' net.

Chinese Taipei tried to increase the pressure in the remaining minutes, but the Vietnamese players successfully neutralized their attempts.

The final whistle of the umpire marked a historic moment for Vietnamese women’s football, with the squad bound for a maiden appearance at the FIFA Women’s World Cup hosted by Australia and New Zealand in July 2023.

The 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup was hosted by India from January 20 to February 6. China staged a comeback to defeat South Korea 3-2 in the finale on Sunday.

The tourney also serves as the final stage of the Asian qualification for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, with the top five teams advancing directly and the next two teams booking spots in the inter-confederation play-offs.

China, Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines will also compete in next year’s World Cup after advancing to the semifinals.

Despite being eliminated in the quarterfinals, Australia were qualified automatically for the World Cup as hosts.

Sunday’s result means that Vietnam have booked their place in the FIFA Women’s World Cup while Chinese Taipei will join Thailand in the inter-confederation play-offs next year.

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