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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider History beckons as Filipinas gun for SEAG football gold vs Vietnam

History beckons as Filipinas gun for SEAG football gold vs Vietnam

Published Dec 16, 2025 02:04 pm

At A Glance

  • BANGKOK — The Philippine women's football team looks to cap its Cinderella run with a fairytale ending when it faces Vietnam in the gold medal match in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games at the Chonburi Daikin Stadium.
BANGKOK — The Philippine women’s football team looks to cap its Cinderella run with a fairytale ending when it faces Vietnam in the gold medal match in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games at the Chonburi Daikin Stadium on Wednesday, Dec. 17.
Kick-off of what is expected to be a thrilling finale is at 8:30 p.m. (Manila time) with the Filipinas ready to bask in the spotlight of a rare opportunity that was once almost inconceivable, even in their dreams.
“We’re hungry and we want it,” said Filipinas skipper Hali Long — a brief but commanding message that the women’s team is not just here to compete, but to crown themselves as the new queens of SEA Games football.
Of course, standing in their way are the Vietnamese, who are not only taking pride at defending the throne they claimed in the last edition of the SEA Games but are also eager to avenge their 1-0 group-stage loss to the Filipinas.
And for the Philippine team, that is the psychological advantage they can hold on as they brace for the big fight back.
“This is a first time feeling for us and a familiar feeling for Vietnam,” stressed Long, assuring that the Filipinas are ready to embrace the pressure.
“It's an unreal feeling that I've come this far. Watching this team grow, develop, change, shift. It's something I wouldn't trade for the world,” she added.
The Filipinas actually had a rough start to the tournament after a tough 0-1 loss to Myanmar but picked up the slack with the 1-0 win over Thailand and a massive 6-0 beating of Malaysia to reach the semifinals.
In the semis, the Filipinas figured in a dramatic penalty shootout against host Thailand which ended in a 4-2 victory for the PH team to advance to the finals of women’s football for the first time in history.
“It's an unreal feeling that I've come this far. Watching this team grow, develop, change, shift. It's something I wouldn't trade for the world,” she added.
“We have one last game to go. And we are going to end this tournament with a win,” she vowed.
“It will be tough because Vietnam is the defending champion. And we beat them in groups. So I know they're going to be coming for us. And we're going to need a harder breakdown this time around,” she added.
“It's one last game.”
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