Vietnam too much for Pinay booters

- Advertisement -

VIETNAM cracked the Philippine defense in the second half on the way to a breezy 6-1 triumph last Tuesday night, paving the way for what could be a title showdown with Thailand in the Asean Football Federation Women’s Futsal Championship at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.

Thanks to the stalwart goaltending of Samantha Hughes, the Vietnamese were held to a 1-0 edge at the break on Tran Thi Lan Mai’s goal in the 13th minute, much to the frustration of mentor Nguyen Din Hoang.

After likely being admonished by their coach at the halftime break, the visitors emerged from their dugout with a sense of urgency to crank up their attack in the five-nation competition organized by the Philippine Football Federation.    

- Advertisement -

Vietnam made it 2-0 in the 21st minute through Le Thi Thanh Ngan but Alisha Clare Mendoza del Campo countered with a goal in the 25th minute that perked up the charges of Dutch tactician Vic Hermans.

But their celebration was cut short as Vietnam unleashed a flurry of goals in six minutes from Nguyen Phuong Anh (26th), Lan Mai (30th), Tran Thi Thu Xuan (31st) and K’Thua K’Thua (33rd), settling the issue.

In a preview of their likely title clash and with three wins each, Vietnam and Thailand tangled for the lead at 4 p.m. yesterday while the Philippines was to meet Indonesia at 7 p.m., with either a win or a draw gaining them a seat in the battle for third place today at the close of the tournament.

While the outcome was a letdown, Hermans continued to see positive things for the nationals, saying: “We had a good first half, but I expected the Vietnamese to raise their level, and this is what happened.

“But if we had the same fitness level as them, we could play with the Vietnamese, which is what we need to work on further.”

Author

- Advertisement -

Share post: