AFC praises Vietnamese female goalkeeper

“Vietnam goalkeeper Tran Thi Kim Thanh made a competition-high 27 saves in her six matches at AFC Women’s Asian Cup in India, with one goal conceded in two playoffs to her side’s success,” AFC wrote.

Following Thanh are Myanmar’s New May Zin with 21 saves and Chinese Taipei’s Cheng Ssu-Yu with 19, although by comparison, the pair played just three games.

Thanh debuted for the national team in 2014 and became the main keeper in 2018. In the final playoff against Taiwan on Feb. 6, she blocked a close-range header in the 59th minute. Her excellent performance in the game helped Vietnam win 2-1 and claim the ticket to Women’s World Cup for the first time ever.

Before the historic feat, Vietnam squad were hit by Covid-19 and many players couldn’t attend Women’s Asian Cup. They had a rough start in the group stage, losing to South Korea and Japan. The draw with Myanmar in the last game helped them progress as one of the best third-placed teams. In the quarterfinals, Vietnam lost 1-3 to China and entered the World Cup playoffs, where they beat Thailand and Taiwan to secure qualification.