Regional newspaper: 'If the goal had been allowed by the referee, the Vietnamese women's team wouldn't have suffered such a bitter defeat'

Media outlets and football experts in Southeast Asia believe that numerous questionable referee decisions led to the Vietnamese women's team losing the SEA Games 33 final.

In the SEA Games 33 women's football final, the Vietnamese women's team lost 5-6 to the Philippines in a penalty shootout (0-0 after 120 minutes). This result meant the Vietnamese team only won the silver medal, missing out on a record of winning 5 consecutive gold medals at the SEA Games. Meanwhile, the Philippine women's team made history, stepping onto the top podium for the first time at Southeast Asia's largest sporting event.

A precious silver medal for the Vietnamese women's national team.

As the match concluded, Bola Times commented: “As always, the SEA Games women's football final has a special atmosphere. All the emotions were present, and when the final whistle blew, players from both teams were in tears. The Vietnamese women's team cried out of pain, having to end their dominance at the SEA Games, while the Philippine women's team knew they had just written a fairy tale. With a squad of many young players, having gone through many changes, no one thought the Philippine women's team could defeat Thailand and then the Vietnamese women's team to win the gold medal at the 33rd SEA Games.”

A serious refereeing error cost the Vietnamese women's team the SEA Games gold medal in a heartbreaking defeat.

The Vietnamese women's team suffered a disappointing defeat in the SEA Games 33 final.

PHOTO: KHA HOA

'The Vietnamese women's national team's morale was affected by the referee's decisions.'

However, the Indonesian newspaper also recalled Bich Thuy's disallowed goal in the 30th minute: "The refereeing team denied a legitimate goal for the Vietnamese team - which is very unfortunate for them. If Bich Thuy's beautiful goal had been allowed, the course of the match would have completely changed. In slow motion, it was a beautifully orchestrated play by the Vietnamese girls. It seems that the disallowance of that goal also affected the Vietnamese women's team's plan to score an early goal, preventing them from imposing their game."

Meanwhile, former Singaporean football analyst Rhysh Roshan Rai assessed that from the moment the Vietnamese women's team's legitimate goal was disallowed by the referee, the game completely changed. Rhysh Roshan Rai commented: “As the SEA Games champions, the Vietnamese women's team had an excellent start to the first half. They dominated the Philippines, creating several dangerous shots. Their success came in the 30th minute with a beautiful header from Bich Thuy, but unfortunately it was disallowed due to a referee error. From then on, everything changed completely.”

Rhysh Roshan Rai analyzed: “In the latter half of the first half, the 45 minutes of the second half, and even during extra time, if you observe carefully, you will see that the Vietnamese players were playing with tense nerves. Not only were goals disallowed, but the referee's somewhat questionable decisions also affected the Vietnamese women's team's morale. They played sluggishly and often showed dissatisfaction with the referee's decisions.”

"It was the tense mentality that made it difficult for the Vietnamese women's team to implement their preferred control-based style of play. Furthermore, that also led to their defeat in the penalty shootout, thus losing the gold medal. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that the Philippine girls had a fantastic match and deserved to win the gold medal," emphasized Rhysh Roshan Rai.

Highlights of the Vietnam Women's Team vs. Philippines match: Gold medal lost due to refereeing errors.

Expert Rhysh Roshan Rai assessed that the Vietnamese women's team was psychologically affected after Bich Thuy's disallowed goal.

PHOTO: KHA HOA

Siamsport , a renowned Thai sports newspaper, expressed surprise at the Philippine women's team's victory over Vietnam: “The Philippine women's football team made history at the SEA Games by winning their first ever gold medal in women's football. They created a huge shock by defeating the Vietnamese women's team, eight-time champions, in a dramatic final. The match was tense for 120 minutes, ending in a 0-0 draw before being decided by a penalty shootout. The Philippine players, with better morale, won 6-5, officially securing the SEA Games 33 gold medal.”

Watch SEA Games 33, stand alongside the Vietnamese Sports Delegation, in its entirety onFPT Play, at: http://fptplay.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bao-khu-vuc-neu-ban-thang-duoc-trong-tai-cong-nhan-doi-tuyen-nu-viet-nam-khong-that-bai-cay-dang-185251217225713259.htm