This was the second time Vietnam had advanced to the semifinals of the tournament.
The team of coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet this year has many talents, namely Tran Thi Thanh Thuy, Hoang Thi Kieu Trinh, Tran Thi Bich Thuy, Nguyen Thi Trinh, and Doan Thi Lam Oanh.
However, the girls were unable to overcome their Japanese opponents even though they had tried their best.
Japan ranks seventh in the world while Vietnam places 84th, according to the International Volleyball Federation.
Vietnam scored the first point of the match, but the Japanese girls later proved their strength when they pocketed the next seven points.
Coach Kiet had to call a technical time-out before the Vietnamese players were able to catch up and fight back.
However, Japan still beat Vietnam 25-17 at the end of the first game.
Japanese players cheer for their victory over Vietnam in the semifinals of the 2022 Asian Women’s Volleyball Cup in the Philippines, August 28, 2022. Photo: AVC |
In the second game, the Vietnamese girls displayed a better performance, but their Japanese opponents still took the lead.
Vietnam managed to shorten the gap, but the game ended 22-25 in favor of Japan.
Vietnam had an impressive third game as they were able to beat their strong opponents 36-34, but the joy did not last long when Japan concluded the fourth game early with the scoring of 25-10.
The semifinal match thus ended 1-3 with victory for Japan.
The Vietnamese girls are scheduled to compete with their Thai opponents for the bronze medal on Monday.
Thailand previously lost 2-3 to China in their semifinal match.
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