Former Vietnamese women's national team defender Bui Thanh Nhu: 'Turkey disappoints, Brazil regains its identity'

Former Vietnamese women's national team central defender Bui Thanh Nhu stated that Turkey is the biggest letdown at the 2026 World Cup, whereas former champions Brazil are slowly regaining their elegance and smoothness in gameplay.

A narrow 0-1 defeat to Paraguay in the second matchday officially ended Turkey's journey at the 2026 World Cup. Although they still have a final group-stage match against the USA, being behind both Australia and Paraguay in head-to-head records means the European side will definitely finish bottom of Group D and accept early elimination.

Evaluating the poor performance of Vincenzo Montella's squad, coach Bui Thanh Nhu, former center-back of the Vietnamese women's national team and Phong Phu Ha Nam Club, analyzed: "I must say Turkey is the most disappointing side in this group. Montella's team dominated possession with a staggering 79% (compared to Paraguay's 21%) and created a huge number of shots.

However, their goal-scoring efficiency was a round zero. In the loss to Paraguay alone, they had 20 shots but only 5 on target, a mere 25% accuracy rate.

Turkish strikers were too hasty, and their central attacking patterns or long-range efforts all lacked the necessary precision and creativity. This bitter defeat shows that Turkey needs a radical tactical overhaul in the coming period if they want to aim for higher goals at the Euros."

In contrast to the disappointment of Turkey, the strategist from Phong Phu Ha Nam women's club praised Brazil's positive transformation after their emphatic win over Haiti: "Against a weaker opponent in every aspect like Haiti, Brazil put on a very polished display. 'Selecao's play was much more coherent and fluid than their opening match. The biggest highlight was the coaching staff's adjustments to the forward line.

In the earlier draw with Morocco, striker Igor Thiago, despite having an ideal physique for holding up the ball and acting as a target man, lacked the ability to change pace or unleash unexpected long-range shots to break the deadlock.

In this match, giving Matheus Cunha a starting spot from the beginning completely transformed the attack. Cunha's flexible movement and tendency to drop deep to combine play stretched the opposing defense, creating plenty of space for runners from the second line to cut into the box.

Although Haiti is not yet a sufficient test to gauge the true strength of a title contender, this resounding victory was a timely 'tonic' for the squad's morale, which had faced much skepticism under the new coach's regime.

Watching players like Vinicius, Matheus Cunha, Bruno Guimaraes, and Endrick play, fans can clearly feel the optimism and the restored spiritual connection. Even substitutes like Gabriel Martinelli, Danilo, Ederson, and Rayan showed great desire to contribute when they came on.

The upcoming final match against Scotland will be a true heavyweight test to accurately assess Brazil's progress. As a lover of South American football, I have high hopes that Ancelotti's Samba representatives will continue to shine and go deep in this World Cup."