Photo: Courtesy of SPORTFIVE
HAI PHONG, Vietnam: Hosts Vietnam will take on Australia in the semi-finals of the Asean Women’s MSIG Serenity Cup 2025 on Saturday (Aug 16) as four-times champions Thailand face off against Myanmar in the quest for a place in Tuesday’s final.
The Vietnamese will take a perfect record into their meeting with the Australians after notching up wins over Cambodia, Indonesia, and Thailand in the group stage, with Mai Duc Chung’s side scoring 14 unanswered goals in the process.
Pham Hai Yen is the team’s leading scorer with three goals, while the Vietnamese have seen 10 different players find the back of the net in the competition to date, a sign of the multi-faceted attacking approach adopted by the hosts, who are seeking their fourth title following victories in 2006, 201,2 and 2019.
Vietnam will be facing a youthful Australia side that overcame an opening 2-1 loss to Myanmar to book their place in the last four as Group B runners-up with back-to-back wins over defending champions the Philippines and Timor-Leste.
Alana Jancevski scored the goal that sank the Philippines before netting twice in the 9-0 win over Timor-Leste, which secured Australia’s progress.
The Australians, who won the title in 2008, will not only be taking on Đức Chung’s team in the last four clash but face the prospect of doing so in front of a boisterous capacity crowd at Lach Tray Stadium.
More than 25,000 fans turned out to see the Vietnamese defeat Thailand 1-0 in their final Group A game, and another bumper crowd can be expected to fill the venue in Hai Phong with a place in the tournament decider on the line.
Thailand, meanwhile, will be looking to extend its run of five consecutive appearances in the Asean Women’s Championship final when it takes on a Myanmar side that topped Group B.
Futoshi Ikeda’s team lost for the first time during the current edition of the tournament on Tuesday against Vietnam after scoring seven times in each of their earlier matches against Cambodia and Indonesia.
Janista Jinantuya has been her side’s most prolific scorer with four goals, including a hat-trick in the 7-0 win against the Cambodians, and the 21-year-old will be key to her side’s hopes of securing another appearance in the final and a possible fifth title.
Standing in the way will be a Myanmar side that has quietly impressed through the group phase.
Tetsuro Uki’s team made the perfect start with a disciplined performance in the 2-1 win over Australia that was followed by a comfortable 3-0 win over Timor-Leste that came courtesy of a Win Theingi Tun hat-trick.
A 1-1 draw with the Philippines in the final round of group matches took Uki’s side into the knock-out rounds at the expense of the defending champions and sets Myanmar up to continue their quest for a third title after their victories in 2004 and 2007.
The semi-final between Myanmar and Thailand will kick off at 4pm, with the clash between Vietnam and Australia to follow at 8pm.
The third-fourth place match and the final will also be played at Lạch Tray on 19 August.
(Note: The four matches in the knock-out stage will see Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology implemented for the first time in the history of the Asean Women’s Championship.)
For more information about the MSIG Serenity Cup 2025 and other Asean United FC events, visit https://aseanutdfc.com/ and @aseanutdfc on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, X, and LinkedIn.
