In the final, the Philippines women's team beat the Vietnam women's team after a penalty shootout of 11m, to win the gold medal for the first time. Although the match was controversial about Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy's denied goal, it is undeniable that the efforts and contributions of the Philippines women's team players.
Before coming to Thailand, the best achievement of Philippine women's football was the bronze medal in the first SEA Games in 1985 and then the SEA Games in Hanoi in 2022.
Entering the 33rd SEA Games, the Philippines women's team had a bad start when they lost 1-2 to Myanmar. But then, they won 4 consecutive matches, including 2 defeats to the Vietnam women's team to win the gold medal.
This gold medal is a turning point for Philippine football and a testament to the dream of many generations of Philippine female athletes to stand on the podium at the SEA Games.
This is the result of a long-term, collective effort - built on the foundation of previous years' achievements and reinforced by the current winning momentum of female Philippine athletes, President of the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) John Anthony Gutierrez shared.
Olivia Mc Daniel, a mainstay goalkeeper of the Philippines team for the past three years, has shown her mettle when blocking Tran Thi Thu's penalty kick, helping the home team win the match.
Each of us has our own role and we know that in the end, the work needs to be completed, so we have united and supported each other and knew that there is nothing other than the gold medal, Mc Daniel said.
Meanwhile, coach Mark Torcaso shared: "The girls have performed excellently throughout this SEA Games. We have practiced very hard for this tournament. I am very proud of them, we will enjoy this moment before focusing on preparing for the Asian Cup.
Before winning the SEA Games gold medal, the Philippines women's team was also crowned at the 2022 Southeast Asian Women's Football Championship. In 2026, the team will participate in the Women's Asian Cup. The draw results put the team in Group A with the host teams Australia, Korea and Iran.
"In the end, I also brought home the gold medal in football at the SEA Games, this is both a reward and a responsibility. This victory raises the standards for all national teams and strengthens our commitment to excellence and sustainable development in Philippine football, said President of the Philippine Football Federation Gutierrez.
