Vietnam’s female football team emerged as the new winner of 2019 AFF Women’s Championship after beating Thailand, the reigning champion, 1-0 in the final.
This year’s AFF Women’s Championship took place in Chonburi, Thailand and featured nine Southeast Asian countries divided into two groups. Group A consisted of Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Timor-Leste, while Group B had Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar and Vietnam.
The first half of the final game went by without any goals, with Vietnam taking a defensive stance for most of the 45 minutes. The second half, however, saw Vietnamese athletes moving forward with more attacks, forcing the host to play defense. Regular time ended in a 0-0 tie.
The situation completely changed during extra time, when captain Huynh Nhu scored a goal in the 94th minute, bringing the crowd into a frenzy. Elated, Nhu took off her shirt to celebrate the goal and was given her second yellow card of the match, so Vietnam had to play the last few minutes with a 10-person team. Still, they managed to fend off all of Thailand’s scoring attempts and became the new champion.
Vietnam’s victory officially ended Thailand’s streak as champions of the last three tournaments. This is Vietnam’s third time at the top since the AFF Women’s Championship was first introduced in 2004. The Vietnam Football Federation awarded the team VND1.3 billion after the win.
Vietnam’s female football team had a stellar performance in the tournament, winning every single game without conceding a goal. The only point scored against them occurred when defender Tran Thi Hong Nhung scored an own goal during the semi-final against the Philippines.
[Photo via VietnamNet]
