DEFENDING champion Vietnam whipped Cambodia 7-0 last Sunday night to top Group A and advance together with the idle Philippine women’s squad to the semifinals of the 31st Vietnam Southeast Asian Games at the Cam Pha Stadium in Quang Ninh Province.
The Filipinas, who dropped a 0-1 decision to the reigning champs last May 11, nervously waited for four days for the result of the Vietnam-Cambodia match to know if they would make it to the semis for the second straight SEA Games.
But the Vietnamese left no doubt about the outcome after a slim 1-0 halftime lead, burying the Cambodians with an avalanche of six goals in the second half, led by Nguyen Thi Van, who had a brace with markers in the sixth and 77th minutes.
The hosts finished on top of the group with two wins, the Pinay booters took runner-up honors with a 1-1 win-loss mark, and winless Cambodia finished at the bottom after the bracket was reduced to three squads with the last-minute withdrawal of Indonesia.
The charges of Australian coach Alan Stajcic will face Group B topnotcher Thailand, which routed Laos 5-0 in its last match, in the semifinal round tomorrow at the same arena in a rematch between the AFC Women’s Asian Cup protagonists last February in India.
