* Vietnam edge past Thailand to defend SEA Games women’s football title
* [Infographic] Vietnam’s road to the 30th SEA Games women’s football crown
Despite concerted efforts from both sides, the Sunday title match ended up goalless after 90 official minutes of play. It was not until extra time that Hai Yen got on the scoresheet to lift Mai Duc Chung’s side to the overall crown.
“I would like to congratulate the Vietnamese players for their brilliant match against Thailand. They battled bravely and ready did their best,” Chung told reporters after the final at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
“Immediately after the final whistle, I called home to inform my family members of the result. They were very happy and shared my joy at the Vietnamese team’s victory,” he stated.
Answering a query on the difficulties faced in the Philippines, the 68-year-old tactician said: “The team encountered a lot of difficulties at the beginning, which, however, were accidental. With the support of the Vietnam sports delegation and the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), we promptly addressed the hardships and focused on our mission.”
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Vietnamese players celebrate after their 1-0 final win against Thailand.
Despite the SEA Games title, Chung still reminded his players to continue exerting greater efforts towards bigger goals.
“The Vietnamese players still need to practise more. I hope that with the investment of the General Department of Sports and Physical Training and the VFF, Vietnamese women’s football will continue to develop strongly, harvest further success and have the chance to attend the World Cup.”
“After the SEA Games, Vietnam’s women’s team will continue to rejuvenate, with older players giving places to younger ones. There will be four to five players of the national U19 squad to be called up to the national team in preparation for the third round of the 2020 Olympics qualifiers and the 2021 SEA Games, to be held in Vietnam.”
Shortly after Vietnam’s women’s football triumph in the Philippines, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc asked Permanent Vice President of the VFF Tran Quoc Tuan to extend his words of praise to the Vietnamese players for their marvelous fighting spirit in taking top honour at the SEA Games arena for the sixth time in history.
