Women’s football at SEA Games 33: Vietnam advances to the semifinals
A convincing victory over Myanmar’s women’s team helped Vietnam’s women’s team secure a spot in the semifinals of women’s football at SEA Games 33, finishing first in the group. Coach Mai Đức Chung’s team will face Indonesia, who have a less formidable strength, in the next round.
12/12/2025 09:26:45
A 0-1 defeat to the Philippines women’s team has left Vietnam’s women’s team uncertain about qualifying for the next stage. Meanwhile, Myanmar’s women are leading with 6 points after two straight wins and only need a draw against Vietnam to secure a spot in the semifinals as group leaders. In the same hour, the Philippines women’s team will decide their own fate when facing the weakest team in the group, Malaysia (which has lost two matches and conceded 10 goals), and a victory is not surprising.
Given the importance of the match, both sides decided to adopt an attacking approach to seek an advantage. Vietnam’s women’s team has exploited their chances better. Notably, Coach Mai Đức Chung’s team scored two goals early in the game, despite having two players with heights just over… 1.50 meters.
In the 8th minute, Trần Thị Duyên crossed the ball into Myanmar’s penalty area, and Ngân Thị Vạn Sự headed a precise shot into the opponent’s net. After taking an early lead, the “Golden Star Warriors” (Vietnam women’s team) became more aggressive and scored their second goal just seven minutes later. Hoàng Thị Loan caused Myanmar defenders to panic when her shot deflected off her own foot, hitting the crossbar and bouncing out. Immediately, Nguyễn Thị Bích Thùy— a midfielder with a height of only 1.53 meters— rushed in to head the ball into the empty goal.
After conceding two consecutive goals, Myanmar’s women’s team was left in a defensive and disoriented position. The subsequent gameplay was entirely dominated by Vietnam’s women. In the 33rd minute, Hải Yến had a golden opportunity right in front of the goal, but unfortunately, the veteran forward shot the ball over the crossbar. In the final moments of the first half, both wing-backs Hoàng Thị Loan and Trần Thị Duyên showed enthusiasm with energetic plays. However, Vietnam was unable to add to their lead before halftime.
After the break, Vietnam’s women’s team continued to control the game, but the score remained unchanged. The ongoing match between Philippines and Malaysia, with the Philippines constantly taking the lead, did not favor Myanmar. Despite falling into third place, Myanmar still struggled to regain control of the match from Vietnam. In the 81st minute, Myanmar almost conceded another goal when Ngọc Minh Chuyên nearly capitalized on a well-timed offside trap near the penalty area.
With a convincing 2-0 victory, the Vietnam women’s team advanced to the semifinals as the top team in Group B. Coach Mai Đức Chung’s players earned 6 points with a goal difference of +8. In the same match time, the Philippines defeated Malaysia with a score of 6-0. This result only allowed the Azkals to reach the semifinals as the second-place team in Group B, also with 6 points but a goal difference of +5.
Immediately after the match, Vietnam Football Federation President Trần Quốc Tuấn, on behalf of the Executive Committee and Standing Committee, personally met with and congratulated the entire Vietnam women’s national team. At the same time, he awarded the team 700 million VND. President Trần Quốc Tuấn also reminded the team to continue focusing on the upcoming semifinal match.
