With a 7-0 win against Cambodia, the Vietnamese women (white) have the biggest win of the SEA Games 31 football tournament so far. VNA/VNS Photos Anh Tuấn

 HOÀNG HỒ

QUẢNG NINH — Việt Nam are one step closer to defending their SEA Games title after a 7-0 win against Cambodia in the final group women's match on May 14 in Cẩm Phả Stadium, Quảng Ninh.

A double from Nguyễn Thị Vạn, alongside goals from Phạm Hải Yến, Nguyễn Thị Tuyết Dung, Trần Thị Thu, Ngân Thị Vạn Sự and Dương thị Vân sealed the hosts firm position on top of group A, ending Cambodia’s semis dream as the Angkor Warriors watched Việt Nam and the Philippines advance to the knockout stage.

Despite the massive win, even the 7-0 score didn’t quite reflect the match, as Việt Nam failed to make much of their dominance.

As the defending champions and having just qualified for the World Cup, Việt Nam showed absolute power, squeezing the Cambodians who seemed overwhelmed by the host's pressing right after the starting whistle.

The first goal came early in the 5th minute. From Nguyễn Thị Thanh Nhã’s dribbling effort on the right-wing, the ball was blocked by Cambodia’s defender and deflected right to Nguyễn Thị Bích Thùy, who then brilliantly crossed the ball into the box.

The cross found Ngân Thị Vạn Sự’s head at the left side, and the number 11’s header pass was perfectly fed to Nguyễn Thị Vạn waiting in the Cambodian box to open the scoring.

After the goal, the women in white continued the intense pressure with chance after chance, but acrobatic saves from the opponent’s goalie and the lack of accuracy from the hosts kept the score 1-0 in the first half.

Việt Nam entered the second half with even more big chances, but this time, coach Mai Đức Chung’s women were much better with their finishing, as Phạm Hải Yến, Nguyễn Thị Tuyết Dung, Trần Thị Thu, Ngân Thị Vạn Sự and Dương thị Vân respectively scored to seal the biggest victory at this year's SEA Games women's football tournament.

With 6 points and a goal difference of plus 8, Việt Nam go into the semis with a perfect winning record.

Following Việt Nam are the Philippines, whose only three points were gained from the 5-0 win against a miserable Cambodia in the competition's opening match.

As Indonesia withdrew from the SEA Games 31 women’s football, Group A is a competition with only three teams left: Việt Nam, the Philippines and Cambodia.

The remaining two slots in the semis from Group B are yet to be decided, with Myanmar, Thailand and Singapore fighting for the top spot.

In the final matches of group B, Singapore will play Myanmar on Sunday at 4pm, while Thailand will take on Laos the same day at 7pm. VNS