MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Well… it is no fluke.
Vietnam for the second consecutive tournament, defeated the sixth best
women’s futsal national in the world, Thailand, by the score of 2-1, in extra
time, to claim the first ever AFF Women’s Futsal Championship in Manila.
Vietnam was relentless in their attack from the opening buzzer and took
advantage of a Thailand team that seemed off.
Despite looking disjointed, the score remained scoreless in the first half.
Thailand found their groove in the second half but were unable to breach
Vietnam’s defense.
Going into extra time, Nguyen Phong Anh found the back of Thailand’s net in
the 43 rd minute.
With a sense of desperation, Thailand equalized through an own goal by
Vietnam keeper Le Thi Tranh Ngan. Scarcely Thailand felt a sense of relief
when Anh scored the title clinching crown.
It was a stunning turn of events. In the final day of the elimination round,
Thailand blanked Vietnam, 3-nil.
During the post-match press conference, Vietnam head coach Nguyen Dinh
Hoang, despite taking it easy as he rested three key players, looked upset
that his team was easily dismantled. “I hope we put up a better fight
tomorrow,” he remarked through an interpreter.
And true enough, and in a déjà vu moment, Vietnam won the match that
mattered. Just like they did in September earlier this year.
During the NSDF Women’s Futsal Championship held in Bangkok, Vietnam
claimed the title on Thailand’s home floor as the latter finished third.
Now, the regional rivalry has officially shifted. Since 2017, Thailand and
Vietnam have faced each other seven times with the former owning the
match-up record with four wins, two losses and one draw. Vietnam has won
the gold in their last two outings.
In the battle for third place of the 2024 AFF Women’s Futsal Championship,
Indonesia crushed Myanmar, 4-1. It was Indonesia’s third consecutive win in
the competition.
