Football

HẢI PHÒNG — Coach Mai Đức Chung could not hide his delight after Việt Nam secured yet another win over long-time rivals Thailand in a competitive fixture on August 12 to stretch their dominant unbeaten run to 10 years.

Việt Nam edged Thailand 1-0 in the final Group A match of the ASEAN Women’s MSIG Serenity Cup 2025, held at Lạch Tray Stadium in Hải Phòng.

Midfielder Trần Thị Thu Thảo broke the deadlock in the 36th minute, slotting home the decisive goal in front of an expectant crowd of 25,000 spectators.

The result ensured Việt Nam completed the group stage with a perfect record of three wins from three matches, finishing top of the table. Thailand took second place to advance as group runners-up.

"On behalf of the Vietnamese team, I would like to thank the leaders of the Hải Phòng City People's Committee, the Việt Nam Football Federation, supporters and the whole country for enthusiastically cheering us," said Chung in the post-match conference.

"Today, I have nothing to criticise about my players. I just reminded them of a few situations where personal handling was not as good as expected.

"Today's match reminds me of the emotions of the 2003 SEA Games final."

The 74-year-old coach recalled Việt Nam’s previous victory over Thailand at the same stadium and expressed his satisfaction that his team had successfully repeated the feat. He also expressed hope of lifting the trophy in the coming days.

As the world’s oldest national head coach, he stood firmly by his players, particularly when questioned about his captain, Như, who has not scored in several months.

Việt Nam won all three matches in the group stage, scoring 14 goals and conceding none. However, Như, widely regarded as one of Việt Nam’s finest female strikers, has yet to find the back of the net in this tournament.

"Football is a team sport. Như did not score today but I still picked her in the starting line-up for a specific purpose," said Chung.

"Although she is no longer young, Như still shows her experience and outstanding ability to create opportunities for teammates."

It was Như who gave Thảo a perfect ball in the box before she found the back of the net.

While Thảo was voted the Player of the Match, Như was named the game's Most Dynamic Player.

Also in the post match press conference, Chung acknowledged that his key midfielder Dương Thị Vân would miss the rest of the tournament due to a ligament injury that forced her to leave the match between Việt Nam and Indonesia on August 9.

Following medical examinations, doctors advised that Vân would be sidelined for several weeks to ensure a full recovery. This meant that coach Chung would need to prepare a contingency plan for the regional campaign.

Meanwhile, Thailand’s coach, Futoshi Ikeda, acknowledged that Việt Nam were a very strong team and described the match as extremely challenging for his side.

Nevertheless, he expressed a desire to face Việt Nam again in the final.

Meanwhile striker Madison Casteen added: "I think Việt Nam played very well. I mean it's difficult to play in front of 25,000 people, so I think today we played well as a team.

"We kept the score 1-0 throughout the game under heavy pressure. Personally, I still have a lot to improve but we will keep fighting.

"Of course our goal is to become champions. We qualify for the next round, so now we just focus on winning the championship."

Following their victory, the Vietnamese team were congratulated by leaders of Hải Phòng City and the Việt Nam Football Federation and received a bonus of VNĐ1 billion (approximately US$38,100) in recognition of their achievement.

The semi-finals will take place at Lạch Tray Stadium on August 16, with Thailand facing the winners of Group B, and Việt Nam playing against the runners-up from Group B in the later match.

For the first time in the history of the ASEAN Women’s Championship, Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology will be used during the semi-finals, the third-place play-off, and the final on August 19.

The introduction of VAR in the MSIG Serenity Cup marks a significant advancement for women’s football, enhancing fairness and ensuring that matches are officiated to the highest standards. VNS