Vietnamese female football players enthrall more than 16,000 spectators at Cam Pha Stadium, Quang Ninh province. Photo: VFF

This was an important match for Vietnam to define the top place of Group A while the Philippines stunned Cambodia 5-0 in their opener two days ago.

Coach Mai Duc Chung’s students entered the game not as well as the opponents who have just qualified for the FIFA World Cup.

Annis put the Philippines ahead in the 15th minute before Tuyet Dung earned an equalizer 20 minutes later.

Dung’s goal helped ease pressure and Vietnamese girls played with more confidence, forcing their Philippine girls to resist hard.

In the second half, SEA Games defending champions Vietnam continued to dominate the match, and Thuy Trang took advantage of a pass from her teammate to seal a 2-1 win for Vietnam.

By overwhelming the Philippines in the opening game, Vietnam need a point in their coming clash with Cambodia to stay atop Group A.