Vietnam women's national team’s controversial win, yet Philippines still honored

Spin magazine has selected the Philippines women's team as the team of the year after winning the gold medal at SEA Games 33.

Spin, a leading sports publication in the Philippines, awarded the Philippines women's team the 2025 team of the year honor following their gold medal success at SEA Games 33. Notably, this achievement is surrounded by controversy as in the final against Vietnam, a legitimate goal by Bích Thùy was disallowed due to a baffling error by the assistant referee.

Regarding this award, the Philippine Football Federation expressed their joy and pride: "This is the best way to start the new year. Congratulations to the Philippines women's national team for being honored by Spin as the team of the year.

From qualifying for the 2026 Women's Asian Cup to winning their first-ever SEA Games gold medal, this honor reflects the dedication, unity, and unwavering belief of our players, coaches, and staff. Let this be the fuel as we pursue an even bigger goal — the dream of the 2026 World Cup, starting with the upcoming Asian Cup."

The Philippines women's team made history by winning their first gold medal at the SEA Games after a penalty shootout victory over Vietnam. However, the result was somewhat overshadowed by controversy, especially the incident where the assistant referee disallowed a valid goal by Bích Thùy in the first half.

Including that victory, the Philippines women's team has defeated Vietnam four times consecutively, including the group stage match at SEA Games 33. Nevertheless, in the gold medal match at Chonburi, alongside this historic milestone for Philippine women's football, the controversy over Bích Thùy’s "missed goal" will surely attract special attention.

This incident has been extensively analyzed by Southeast Asian media due to its potential impact on the final match result. Most experts, and even Philippine fans themselves, agree that Coach Mai Đức Chung’s squad was unfairly denied a beautiful goal because of a basic mistake by the assistant referee.