In the 29th minute, Van Su cut in with her right foot before crossing with her left into the heart of the Philippines' penalty area. Bich Thuy moved between the two white-jerseyed center-backs, heading the ball down into the right corner of the net, sending it past the opposing goalkeeper. However, assistant referee Chanthavong Phutsavan raised her flag for offside.

Tran Thi Duyen wiping away tears and comforting Bich Thuy during the SEA Games 33 medal ceremony, on the evening of 17/12 at Chonburi Stadium. *Photo: Duc Dong*

Bich Thuy's spectacular diving header goal was disallowed by the referee during the Vietnam - Philippines final at SEA Games 33, held at Chonburi Stadium, Thailand, on the evening of 17/12. *Photo: Duc Dong*

"At that moment, I was very surprised and didn't know if it was me or Su who was offside. But once the assistant referee raised the flag, the head referee disallowed the goal. We protested but couldn't change anything", Bich Thuy told VnExpress. "Moreover, the Philippines players had already put the ball back in play, so the whole team had to return to defense and couldn't press the issue further".

After reviewing the replay, which showed she was not offside, Bich Thuy was deeply upset. She cried profusely while receiving her medal and was comforted by teammate Tran Thi Duyen. Even after the ceremony, Thuy continued to cry and remained sleepless throughout the night.

"I feel terrible, sad, and full of regret. The referee 'stole' the most beautiful header goal of my career", the 31-year-old midfielder said sadly. "We fought with all our might, but we couldn't defend the gold medal. I want to apologize to the fans".

Born in 1994, Bich Thuy moved from her hometown of Quang Ngai to TP HCM at 13 to pursue a football career. She is currently one of the most experienced players and a member of the Vietnam national team that won gold medals at SEA Games 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023, and the AFF Cup 2019.

Despite standing at only 1m53, Bich Thuy consistently plays energetically on the right flank and frequently penetrates the penalty area to score. She also scored the decisive goal in Vietnam women's 2-1 victory over Taiwan in 2022, which secured Vietnam's first-ever World Cup appearance.

At this SEA Games, Bich Thuy scored 4 goals. Before the final, Thuy had remembered her late father, who passed away in 2016, hoping for her parent to "light the way". However, a referee's decision led to a cruel end to the match for her.

The Vietnam women's national team will return home today on two flights. One group will fly to TP HCM, and the other will fly to Hanoi.

Duc Dong