INSPIRED by the hometown crowd, defending champion Vietnam humbled the Philippines 2-1 for a pivotal first win last Wednesday night in the 31st Vietnam Southeast Asian Games women’s football tournament at the packed Cam Pha Stadium in Quang Ninh province.
With the match tied 1-all at the break, Thu Trang Tran Thi slipped through the Philippine defense for a 15-yard volley over the outstretched arms of goalie Olivia McDaniel for the winning goal in the 51st minute to boost the home team’s semifinal prospects in Group A.
Skipper Tahnai Annis had earlier staked the Filipinas to an early 1-0 lead with a long header in the 15th minute, but Tuyet Dung Nguyen Thi scored the equalizer in the 38th minute, evading a phalanx of defenders to slot in the goal from point blank range.
The loss left the charges of Australian coach Alen Stajcic anxiously awaiting the result of the match between Vietnam and Cambodia tomorrow. A draw by the hosts will be enough to ensure them a ticket to the next round.
The Filipinas opened their campaign last Monday with a 5-0 rout of the Cambodians.
The group was reduced to three squads with the last-minute withdrawal of Indonesia.
“Maybe we have a little bit of fatigue and getting some nerves playing in front of such a big crowd,” Stajcic said after the game played before 16,000 rabid hometown fans.
“But I thought at the beginning we were the better team, and, in the middle, they were the better team and in the last ten, twenty minutes we were the better team again,” he added.
