Vietnamese women’s football team takes gold at SEA Games
Vietnam gold tally rises to 61 after day eight
By Vu Duc - The Saigon Times Daily
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| Vietnamese women football players celebrate after winning the SEA Games final match at Chao Anuvong Stadium in Laos on Wednesday |
HCMC – The Vietnamese women’s football team revenged their loss to archrivals Thailand in the last SEA Games championship. The Vietnamese side secured the gold after winning 3-0 over Thailand in the penalty shootout in the final game at the 25th SEA Games in Laos on Wednesday.
After drawing 2-2 in the group stage competition, both sides played carefully at the beginning of the game, they played defensively and relied on counterattacks.
The Vietnamese forwarders put the Thai defending line under heavy pressure from the 20th minute. The Vietnamese had some real opportunities during the first half, however, the forwards missed to score and the first half ended scoreless.
The Thai forwarders created more attacks on their opponents in the second half. Their strikers had some scoring chances but failed to find the net. Vietnam also increased their pressure on Thai defense in the last minutes, however, no goal was scored in the official time.
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| Sprinter Vu Thi Huong finishes first women's 200 meter event at SEA Games on Wednesday - Photos: TTXVN |
The two teams had to enter the extra time game, but no goal was scored. The two teams then had to decide their right to go to the final in the penalty shootout in which Thailand were defeated by 3-1.
Vietnam and Thailand finished their group stage competition with top teams, Vietnam and Thailand secured eight points each from two wins and two draws but the Thais rank first thanks to goal difference.
The five women national squads of Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam competed in the round-robin format then the top two teams played the final.
Today, the clash between Vietnam U-23 men’s squad and their counterparts from Malaysia attracts much public attention. The Vietnamese will fight for the gold medal with Malaysia at 5:00 p.m. while hosts Laos will take on Singapore at 3:00 p.m. for the third place of the men’s football event.
* Vietnamese athletes had successful performance as they secured 16 more golds on day eight of the 25th SEA Games, which is taking place in Vientiane, Laos, leveling the gold medal tally with leaders Thailand.
Vietnam collected 61 golds, 55 silvers and 47 bronzes, thus maintaining the second place in the medal tally of the Games. Thailand continued topping with 61 golds, 68 silvers and 79 bronzes and Indonesia climbed third place with 32 golds, 37 silvers, and 60 bronzes.
Pham Quoc Khanh brought home the second gold for the Vietnamese wushu team on Wednesday. Khanh showed excellent performance in the men’s nanquans event after pocketing 9.70 points in two performance categories.
The shooting athletes took home the ninth gold for the shooting team after the excellent performances of Pham Cao Son, Pham Anh Dat and Ha Minh Thanh. The trio earned 1,666 points in the men’s 25 meter rapid fire pistol team event, ahead Malaysian team and Thai team.
In track and field, sprinter Vu Thi Huong clinched her second gold at the Games when she finished 23’’21 in the women’s 200 meter event while teammate Le Ngoc Phuong finished third to take the bronze in the event. Earlier, Huong secured her third consecutive gold at SEA Games in the women’s 100 meter event on Monday.
Vietnamese athletes dominated in the shuttle cock event as they won two golds in the men’s and women’s team events. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Nguyen Ngoc Bach and Nguyen Tuyet Cuong beat Southisone, Phongeun Kongmany and Khamphong Phouthon from Laos 21-12, 21-17 in the men’s team final game and Hoang Thi Tra My, Nguyen Thi Thanh and Nguyen Thi Thuy Ti defeated Malaythong Daosisa, Pathoumphone Phamm and Khamkhun Louanglad also from Laos 21-8, 21-12 in the women’s finals.
Archers took home the first gold for archery team when Nguyen Tien Cuong, Nguyen Thanh Tuan and Vu Viet Anh came first in the men’s compound team event.
Meanwhile, Van Ngoc Tu beat Phetnida from Laos in the women’s 48-kg category, taking her consecutive fourth gold in the judo at the SEA Game. Nguyen Quoc Hung and Nguyen Thu Kieu contributed two gold in the men’s 66-kg and women’s 57-kg categories respectively.
Vo Tan Xuan, Le Hong Phuoc and Phan Thi Thuy Diem earned a 13-3 win over their opponents from Cambodia in the mixed triples one women and two men of the petanque event.
In the billiard & snooker event, Nguyen Phuc Long beat Ricky Wang from Indonesia in the final game in the men’s 9 ball pool singles event, taking the third gold for the billiard & snooker team.
Pham Thi Hue bagged the gold in the women’s wrestling event after beating Sulis Yuliani from Indonesia in the 51-kg category.
In fin swimming event, the Vietnamese swimmers continuously showed their excellent performance as they grasped three more gold in later day. Nguyen Nhat Tu came first in the men’s bi-fins event, Phan Luu Cam Thanh finished first in the men’s 50 meter surface event and Tran Bao Thu was champion in the men’s 400 meter surface event. So far, Vietnamese swimmers gained seven golds, four silvers and two bronzes at the Games.
In women’s volleyball, Vietnam were defeated by powerful Thailand 3-1 (27-25, 25-12, 25-15 and 25-20) in the final game, accepting the silver at the Games.