Vietnam women's futsal team wins thrilling match against Hong Kong, opening match of Asian women's futsal tournament

On the afternoon of May 7, the Vietnamese women's futsal team entered the opening match against Hong Kong (China) at the 2025 Asian women's futsal tournament.

Right from the start, the Vietnamese women’s futsal team proactively pushed up their formation to control the game and put constant pressure on the opponent’s field. Coach Nguyen Dinh Hoang’s players played fiercely, did not hesitate to fight one-on-one and often tried to exploit the flanks to create opportunities.

However, the Hong Kong (China) team showed that they are not easy to bully. The tightness in defense, especially the pressing style and effective ability to mark people, made it difficult for Vietnam to approach the opponent's goal despite having more ball control.

It was not until the 13th minute that the game changed. From a seemingly harmless situation, Chan Wing Sze lost the ball to Thanh Ngan. The Hong Kong player, in an attempt to clear the ball, accidentally kicked it into his own net, helping Vietnam open the score 1-0.

Before they could recover from the loss, Hong Kong's defense continued to show weaknesses. Just one minute later, Thanh Ngan continued to shine when she accelerated from home, passed Chan Wing Sze and coolly finished to increase the score to 2-0.

It seemed that Vietnam would completely control the match, but in the 15th minute, Halasan suddenly shortened the gap for Hong Kong with a close-range shot, bringing the match back to a stalemate.

However, Chan Wing Sze's mistakes did not stop there. In the 19th minute, she let Thu Xuan steal the ball right at the edge of the penalty area and the player wearing the number 10 shirt of Vietnam did not miss the opportunity, scoring to raise the score to 3-1 right before the end of the first half.

In the second half, the game turned around when Hong Kong proactively pushed up their formation to find an equalizer. The tactical change quickly paid off. In the 21st minute, Chiu Yiu took advantage of a free kick combination to reduce the score to 2-3. Just two minutes later, So Hoi Lam made a powerful dribble and then fired a hammer-like shot into the top corner of the goal, bringing the match back to the starting line with a score of 3-3.

The moment of being leveled made the Vietnamese team somewhat confused, especially in the way they organized their attacks. However, their bravery helped the red team stand firm and quickly restore order.

In the 30th minute, from a free kick on the right wing, Thu Xuan crossed the ball inside for Nguyet Vi to finish with a tricky low shot, defeating goalkeeper Chuek Wai, putting Vietnam ahead 4-3. Immediately after, Thanh Ngan, the best player of the match, continued to make her mark with a powerful direct free kick, sealing a 5-3 victory for Vietnam.

Defeating Hong Kong in the opening match, the Vietnamese women's futsal team temporarily took the lead in the group and held a big advantage in the race for a ticket to the next round. More importantly, this victory showed the maturity in the playing style and mentality of the Vietnamese players, factors that are extremely important in the continental arena.

Coach Nguyen Dinh Hoang also shared after the match that he was satisfied with his players' resilient fighting spirit, but the team still has many things to improve, especially the ability to maintain the rhythm of the match and counterattack in the second half.

With a dream start, fans can expect an impressive journey for the women's futsal team at this year's tournament.