ASEAN U-19 Girl’s Championship: Vietnam U-19 women temporarily top Group A
In the second matchday of Group A at the 2025 AFF U-19 Women’s Championship held today (June 11), the Vietnam U-19 women’s team comfortably secured a victory over the lower-rated Timor Leste U-19 side, despite not fielding their strongest lineup.
12/06/2025 09:11:27
Head coach Okiyama Masahiko made several changes to the starting lineup compared to the opening match, aiming to give more players the opportunity to gain match experience. During the first 45 minutes, goalkeeper Ngọc Anh was barely called into action as Vietnam U-19 dominated possession and played mostly in the opposition’s half with an overwhelming attacking style.
The sustained pressure paid off early, with the opening goal coming in the 10th minute. From a cross on the right wing by Nguyễn Thị Quý, Thúy Nga rose high to head the ball accurately into the net. Fifteen minutes later, Juleica fouled Quỳnh Anh just outside the penalty area, earning Vietnam a free-kick. Thúy Nga once again shone, delivering a well-placed strike to double the lead to 2-0.
In the 36th minute, Lê Thị Trang delivered a chipped ball near the byline, and in an attempt to block it, goalkeeper Elania accidentally pushed the ball into her own net, extending Vietnam U-19’s lead to 3-0.
In the second half, Vietnam U-19 continued to dominate the game. In the 50th minute, Hồng Yêu tested substitute goalkeeper Halina—who had come on late in the first half—with a free-kick just outside the box. Although Halina made an excellent save on that occasion, she was beaten in the 62nd minute after a brilliant one-two passing move ended with Quỳnh Anh finishing with a diagonal shot to make it 4-0.
In the 77th minute, Nguyễn Thị Quý scored Vietnam’s fifth goal with a free-kick from the right wing. The ball bounced off the ground and went straight into the net. In the 85th minute, Hoài Trinh was fouled in the box by Nivia Gutierres, and she calmly converted the resulting penalty to seal a 6-0 victory for Vietnam U-19.
After the match, head coach Okiyama Masahiko shared:
“In fact, Vietnamese women’s football has many good players. During the training camp for this tournament, I called up a large squad and prepared two different lineups. Today, I wanted to use a different team. I think the players performed well and demonstrated the positive results of youth development in Vietnam.”
In the other Group A match, Myanmar U-19 defeated Laos U-19 with a score of 6-0. With these results after two rounds, Vietnam U-19 temporarily tops Group A with 6 points. Myanmar and Laos both have 3 points, while Timor Leste remains without a point.
In Group B, Thailand U-19 overcame Malaysia U-19 with a dominant 7-1 win, while Indonesia U-19 drew 1-1 with Cambodia U-19. With 6 points after two matches and a 5-point lead over the third-placed team, Thailand U-19 has already secured a spot in the semifinals.
