Bich Thuy lost sleep over her goal being disallowed at the SEA Games.
Midfielder Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy endured a sleepless night after the SEA Games 33 women's football final, when her header goal against the Philippines was disallowed by the referee in the absence of VAR.
The night after the SEA Games 33 women's football final in Chonburi (Thailand), Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy couldn't sleep. The 1994-born midfielder kept replaying the moment in the 29th minute, when her diving header into the net against the Philippines was flagged offside by the referee, turning what she called "the most beautiful goal of her career" into a sad memory.
The 29th-minute moment and the disallowed goal.
The turning point of the final came in the 29th minute, when the score was still 0-0. Ngan Thi Van Su crossed the ball from the right wing, the ball traveling on a favorable trajectory for Bich Thuy – a player who is only 1.53 m tall – to head it in. Her diving header sent the ball into the Philippines' net, and the players in red jerseys began to celebrate.
That joy was cut short by the offside flag from the assistant referee. According to slow-motion replays, at the moment the ball left Van Su's foot, Bich Thuy was still a considerable distance ahead of the last Philippine defender. However, in the absence of VAR at the SEA Games, the offside decision was upheld.
From a well-executed attacking move, a header showcasing the instinct and skill of an attacking midfielder, the Vietnamese women's team lost the opening goal, and Bich Thuy personally missed what could have been the pinnacle of her career at the regional level.
Without VAR, the weight of a refereeing error remains.
The SEA Games is a competition where VAR is not used, so decisions on the field are almost absolute. In the final match in Chonburi, this meant that the Vietnamese women's team had no mechanism to appeal or request a review of the play.
A mistake described as "elementary" completely changed the mood of the match. The disallowed goal left the Vietnamese women's team feeling frustrated, while the Philippines escaped defeat in a situation where slow-motion replays showed they failed to maintain the offside trap.
More than just a controversial decision, this situation became a highlight of the entire tournament, as it exposed the limitations of refereeing in the absence of technological support, as the Vietnamese coaching staff themselves acknowledged.
Personal pain: "A sad ending to the age of 31"
After the match, the Vietnamese women's team lost 5-6 on penalties. The sadness of the overall defeat was compounded for Bich Thuy, as she felt she was robbed of the most important goal of her career.
The midfielder, born in 1994, broke down in tears as he shared: “I feel incredibly bad and regretful. The referee ‘stole’ the most beautiful goal of my career. It was supposed to be a gift I wanted to give to my late father, but now it’s just a sad memory.”
On the morning of December 18th, on her personal page, she called this "a sad ending to my 31st year," while encouraging herself not to give up. In a final match, a disallowed goal not only changes the course of the game but also touches upon private stories and silent promises that the player wants to send to their loved ones.
From World Cup hero to SEA Games tragedy
Two years ago, Bich Thuy was a hero in the journey to bring Vietnamese women's football to the World Cup with her historic goal against Taiwan in 2022. At that time, she was a symbol of perseverance and resilience in crucial matches, where the pressure was always at its highest.
At the 33rd SEA Games, she was once again at the center of a different story, this time not because of a moment of triumph, but because of a refereeing decision. The same main character, but contrasting circumstances: from the overwhelming joy of securing a World Cup ticket to the feeling of helplessness in the face of a referee's mistake in a regional "local tournament."
This contrast illustrates the fine line between glory and tragedy in football, where the culmination of an entire career can sometimes be overshadowed by a single moment, an offside flag.
The coaching staff's perspective and the systemic narrative.
Not only the players, but also the coaching staff of the Vietnamese women's national team reacted strongly. Coach Mai Duc Chung expressed extreme frustration, stating that the refereeing at the SEA Games 33, especially the situation where Bich Thuy's legitimate goal was disallowed, revealed systemic flaws.
This perspective places the Chonburi final within a broader context: the quality of match officiating in regional tournaments remains questionable, while women's football is striving for improvement in expertise, fitness, and professionalism. As the gap in skill levels between teams narrows, the roles of referees and supporting technology become increasingly crucial.
In this context, Bich Thuy's story is not only the personal pain of a 31-year-old midfielder, but also a reminder of the value of fairness in football. The controversial goal disallowed in the 29th minute of the SEA Games 33 final due to offside may well be remembered as a prime example of what happens when refereeing fails to keep pace with the players' efforts on the field.
