Vietnam's women's futsal team has etched their names in history by clinching the inaugural Southeast Asian Women's Futsal Championship. In a dramatic final showdown against their long-time rival, Thailand, on the evening of November 21 in the Philippines, Vietnam emerged victorious with a 2-1 extra-time win.
In the previous match, Thailand defeated Vietnam with a decisive 3-0 score.
However, the previous match was merely a ranking game, allowing Coach Dinh Hoang to rotate players and conserve energy for the intense tournament schedule. With five matches in five consecutive days, strategic player rotation was crucial. In contrast, Thailand had a day of rest.
For the final showdown, Vietnam fielded their strongest lineup and adopted an aggressive, attacking style from the outset.
In the first half, statistics indicated that the Vietnamese team maintained greater ball possession compared to their rivals; however, they were unable to convert this advantage into goals.
During the second half, Thailand reasserted their dominance, yet as the match progressed, the Vietnamese team adopted a more measured and deliberate approach. Following a scoreless draw after 40 minutes, both teams proceeded to two extra periods, where the intensity of the match escalated early in the first extra period.
In the second minute of the initial extra period, Vietnamese female futsal player Phuong Anh unleashed a powerful shot that deflected off a Thai player's foot, altering its trajectory and resulting in goalkeeper Suksen's inability to prevent the ball from entering the net.
The Thai women's futsal team opted for a power-play strategy, playing without a goalkeeper from the outset of the second extra period. It was during this power-play that Jenjira delivered a cross, leading to Vietnamese player Thanh Ngan's unfortunate fumble and subsequent own goal in the 46th minute.
At this time, numerous spectators were thinking about the likelihood of a penalty shootout or an unfavorable result for the Vietnamese team, particularly as they exhibited signs of exhaustion. However, merely a few seconds later, during a corner kick, Phuong Anh executed a precise shot from a challenging angle, securing the second goal for the Vietnamese women's futsal team.
The triumph of the Vietnamese women's futsal team was further solidified by not only their championship title but also two individual accolades awarded to Phuong Anh for being the tournament's top scorer with five goals, and to Thanh Hang as the tournament's Best Player.
After the match, the Standing Committee of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Football Federation congratulated the Vietnamese women's futsal team and awarded the team VND600 million (US$23,583).
