4 min readNew DelhiMar 4, 2026 10:49 PM IST
For about 10 minutes between around the 65th and 75th minute in the second half at the Perth Rectangular Stadium, it had begun to look like India might just pull off the impossible. They had recovered from a forgettable first half to match Vietnam toe-to-toe in the second and arguably looked the better both on and off the ball. But then, the Vietnamese, a well-oiled machine brimming with experience, wrestled back momentum and Ngan Thi Van Su converted that with the winning goal to seal a 2-1 victory in the 94th minute in the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup.
Coach Amelia Valverde went for a 4-4-2 formation in the first half and, considering the final result, that turned out to be her undoing. Shilky Devi Hemam and Sangita Basfore formed the two-player central midfield and they struggled to keep up with the Vietnamese who were crowding them out constantly. India gave away the ball far too cheaply in the first half, mainly down to Basfore and Shilky’s passing routes getting constantly intercepted.
India conceded their first goal of the Asian Cup in the 30th minute when Van Su received the ball from Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy, who had run in behind the Indian defence almost undetected, and then curled it over goalkeeper Panthoi Chanu Elangbam.
At the point that India had conceded, Vietnam had made almost twice as many passes as them.
Vietnam’s Ngân Thị Vạn celebrates after scoring her team’s first goal during the Women’s Asia Cup match vs India. (PHOTO: AP)
Manisha Kalyan, the lanky foward who plays for Peruvian top flight club Alianza Lima, orchestrated pretty much the only chance that India got in that half. Manisha first took down a long ball and then held on to it under pressure, then turned and released Soumya Guguloth down the middle over the Vietnamese defensive line. The latter gave chase and the Vietnamese goalkeeper charged forward as well, leading to a collision between the two and the ball being knocked out of play.
Valverde made amends in the second half by bringing in the young pair of Rimpa Haldar and debutant Sanfida Nongrum. However, India nearly ended up getting a bigger mountain to climb as soon as just three minutes into the second half when a goalmouth scramble ended with midfielder Thai Thi Thao turning it into goal. However, VAR ruled the goal out for an offside. India had their let off and they made the most of it. Manisha seemed to have shifted to a more central role after spending much of the first half on the left and Haldar was making a nuisance of herself for the Vietnamese defence with their tireless pressing.
Just four minutes after Vietnamese’s overturned goal, Nongrum latched on to a loose pass, raced past the opposition backline and chipped the ball over the goalkeeper to level the scores. Sanfida, who captains Garhwal United FC in the Indian Women’s League (IWL), marked her debut with a goal just seven minutes into it.
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India were going toe to toe with Vietnam after that, especially between the 65th and 75th minute. Off the ball, their constant pressing was making for some nervous moments for the opposition defenders and they were looking more likely to score whenever they were on it. However, Vietnam then wrestled back momentum and pinned India right back into their box.
Panthoi was called into action more often once again after that. She did brilliantly to smother a marauding Van Su in the 76th minute after the latter had dribbled past three Indian defenders. The killer blow eventually came in stoppage time. Cu Thi Huynh Nhu sent in a crossfield pass that Nguyen Thi Hoa squared into the box. Nirmala could only get a toe to it behind her and it fell kindly for Van Su, who finished it calmly into the bottom right corner. Cue wild celebrations from the Vietnamese and some cramps for Van Su while she was in the middle of it, a testimony to just how physical this match was.
India next face Japan, who started off their tournament earlier in the day with a 2-0 win over Chinese Taipei, on Saturday in Perth. Their final Group C match will be against Chinese Taipei on Tuesday.
