Cambodia were the only ASEAN side to start on a losing note to their campaign at the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2027. It was a golden outing for their regional neighbours as Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore all picked up opening wins.
Cambodia 0-12 Chinese Taipei
Chinese Taipei breezed to a 12-0 win over Cambodia in their opening Group C tie. Chang Yu-Hsin led with six goals as the East Asian began their quest for a second straight Finals appearance and their sixth overall.
Chinese Taipei found their opener four minutes into the match when Lin Zi-Xun picked up a lovely floated cross from skipper Chung Yun-Chien, coolly controlled the ball and drove it past keeper Sokhim Khann into the bottom left corner.
Chang Yu-Hsin extended their lead in the 12th minute after she shrugged off the defence and slammed the ball beyond the custodian from inside the area, and promptly secured her second a minute later with an almost duplicate goal.
The Cambodia backline came under increasing pressure, and crumbled again in the 24th minute when Chang Yi-Hsuan rolled the ball in from 18-yards past an unsighted Khann.
Yang Yi-Ai gave the East Asian side their fifth in the 35th minute, pouncing on Khann’s save from her initial shot, side-stepping a defender and lashing the ball into the top right corner.
Cambodia, looking to make their first Finals appearance, fell further behind three minutes into the restart when Khann fumbled in collecting a cross from Chan Chienpei and pushed the ball into Ho Serena Vera’s path, who gleefully tucked the ball away into an empty net.
Yu-Hsin completed her hat-trick in the 59th minute when she came from behind to head home off a corner before Vera secured her second goal in the 71st minute with a rising shot from the left.
Yu-Hsin netted three goals within a five-minute spell from the 74th minute while Yun-Chien, who ballooned her spot-kick in the 89th minute, made amends with Chinese Taipei’s final goal a minute into injury time to bring proceedings to a close.
Malaysia 1-0 Syria
Malaysia opened their Group E campaign with a slim 1-0 win over Syria.
The home side’s assured start saw Aisha Lynn Faris hit the side netting in the second minute and Keisha Adeliena Khalid’s jinking run down the middle moments later finishing with her shot going wide of the right post.
Malaysia, however, found it tough to crack their opponents’ defence, and their futile efforts allowed the West Asia side to gradually find their way upfront, with also little effect.
Syria’s Bushra Al Khelif had the clearest chance at giving her side the lead in the 35th minute but failed to take advantage of keeper Nurain Qaisara Ali’s fumbled save on the goalline off a corner, with the ball cracking the underside of the bar in a packed goalmouth before being booted into the side netting by Masa Mena.
Both sides struggled to create any openings after the break, with Syria keeper Media Housain making her first save in the 67th minute from substitute Lim You’s free-kick from 30 yards out.
Malaysia finally broke the deadlock in the 80th minute when Qaseh Riana Dafira Rafiuddin snuck in from behind the defence to collect You’s pass from the left, sticking out a foot to steer the ball past Housain from close range.
Indonesia 2-0 Bahrain
First half goals gave Indonesia a winning start In Group B after they beat Bahrain 2-0. Singapore also secured maximum points, picking up a 1-0 victory against Saudi Arabia in the other match.
Chasing a second successive Finals appearance, Indonesia pressed for the opener as head coach Satoru Mochizuki sent Indonesia side out in attacking mode.
Kesya Arabela netted the first goal in the 19th minute before the midfielder bagged another two minutes later for Indonesia to take a healthy 2-0 lead at the break.
Bahrain showed better resolve in the second half as the West Asian side gave Indonesia a stiffer challenge but there was to be no change to the final score.
Singapore 1-0 Saudi Arabia
Looking to make good of their home advantage, Singapore took the game to Saudi Arabia in the first half and their endeavours were rewarded with the opening goal in the 23rd minute.
Forward Amelia Tan came up with the important final touch to give Singapore the lead at the break.
Despite the best efforts of both teams, there were no further goals in the game as Singapore held onto their advantage.
Vietnam 6-0 Palestine
Vietnam also cruised to a 6-0 win over Palestine in their Group D fixture.
Palestine held their own before eventually conceding in the 32nd minute when they failed to deal with Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang’s cross into the box, allowing Nguyen Le Khanh Dan to pounce on the loose ball and send a looping header over goalkeeper Nora Sobhieh.
Do Thi Ha Vi doubled Vietnam’s advantage seven minutes later, driving into the box and weaving past Sobhieh before slotting into the unguarded net.
Palestine were caught out again three minutes before the break when Nguyen Thi Ngoc Ah capitalised on a loose ball to send a long-range effort over Sobhieh and into the back of the net.
Vietnam stayed on the front foot after the restart and needed just two minutes to add their fourth, with Nguyen Le Khanh Dan finishing off a fine team move by converting Le Thi Hong Thai’s layoff with a sweeping finish from inside the box.
Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh added her second in the 69th minute, outpacing the Palestine defence on her way into the box before finding the net with a low finish.
Phan Thi Thu Phuong then completed the scoring in the 90th minute with a long-range free-kick.
Thailand 4-0 Bhutan
Hosts Thailand also got off to a flying start, sweeping 4-0 past Bhutan in Group F.
Bhutan goalkeeper Kelzang Wangmo pulled out all the stops in the early stages before Thailand eventually broke the deadlock in the 18th minute.
Wangmo could only parry Kanokporn Wanthong’s effort into the path of Sunisa Prathumwan, who calmly slotted home from close range.
Sunisa then turned provider in first half stoppage time, with her corner delivery finding Chanthima Taoue, who nodded home Thailand’s second.
Bhutan held their own for much of the second half but Thailand eventually furthered their advantage in the 90th minute when Thitirat Samrong pounced on a loose ball inside the box before calmly finding the bottom right corner.
Phonnapat Phapyai completed the win in the fourth minute of added time, converting Sunisa’s cross from the left.
Myanmar 9-0 Guam
Myanmar strolled to an easy 9-0 win over Guam to open Group G of their AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China campaign.
Win Yupar starred with four goals to give the Southeast Asia side an emphatic start as they look to book a ticket to their second consecutive Finals.
The hosts asserted their dominance from the starting whistle, with near-misses by San San Htwe, Shin Thant Phyu Sin Pyone and Thet Thet Wai, who rattled the bar from outside the area.
Their persistence was rewarded, however, in the 31st minute when Win Yupar picked up a loose ball in the centre of the area, outpaced her marker and fired home beyond keeper Esther Cadavos.
Yupar tried her luck six minutes later but saw her 18-yard effort just skim the bar, but the hosts stretched their advantage in the 41st minute when an unmarked Nan Kham Hwan headed into the left hand corner past a rooted Cadavos.
The custodian managed to get a finger to Honey Phoo Wai’s curling effort from the edge of the area a minute later, but only managed to push the ball further into the net to give Myanmar a three-goal lead going into the break.
An unguarded Yupar struck again six minutes into the second half when the midfielder, picking up a lovely cross from Sin Pyone, fired home from the centre of the area.
She then followed up with her hat-trick two minutes later when she bundled the ball in at the far post following San Htwe’s pass from the right.
Saung Thazin Oo drove the ball from the edge of the area in the 58th minute for Myanmar’s sixth goal while Sin Pyone got into the act two minutes later with a strike that Cadavos could only parry into the net.
Goal number eight came courtesy of a close-range effort from Nay Myo Thu Thu Aung in the 62nd minute, with Yupar then finding her fourth in the 71st minute with a fiercely-struck effort from the right to finish off the match.
Philippines 4-0 Uzbekistan
Philippines delivered a rousing second half performance to come away with a 4-0 win against Uzbekistan in their AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2027™ Qualifiers Group H opener on Monday.
Uzbekistan will look to rebound against Bangladesh on Thursday before the Philippines take to the field again on Sunday against the South Asian side.
Philippines custodian Abigail Schwartz was called into action after three minutes, reading the flight of the ball well to tip away Mariya Dakhova’s 30-yard free-kick.
The Southeast Asian side then dominated possession, forcing Uzbekistan to swap out defender Farangiz Lakaeva for forward Parizoda Nazirova in the 23rd minute as the hosts tried to wrest control away.
Philippines, however, continued to carve out chances with Noelle Granger narrowly missing out on connecting to Lily Finney’s pass before the former planted a downward header which Zaynab Toyirova did well to palm away.
Uzbekistan’s defiance was crushed in an amazing 17-minute period in the second half as the Philippines showed their quality in attack.
Granger headed her team in front in the 51st minute before she got onto another cross from the right but needed a second attempt to rifle past Toyirova in the 63rd minute.
The forward completed her hat-trick two minutes later, seizing on Finney’s surging run on the left and subsequent cutback to slot home.
A well-worked team goal in the 68th minute saw Granger set up Savannah Chheng to apply the finish to give the Philippines an emphatic start.
RESULTS
Group A (Dushanbe)
Korea Republic 16-0 UAE
Jordan 1-1 Tajikistan
Group B (Singapore)
Indonesia 2-0 Bahrain
Singapore 1-0 Saudi Arabia
Group C (Vientiane)
Cambodia 0-12 Chinese Taipei
Group D (Ho Chi Minh City)
Kyrgyz Republic 18-0 N. Mariana Islands
Vietnam 6-0 Palestine
Group E (Kuala Lumpur)
India 14-0 Iraq
Malaysia 1-0 Syria
Group F (Chonburi)
Lebanon 6-0 Macau, China
Thailand 4-0 Bhutan
Group G (Yangon)
Guam 0-9 Myanmar
Group H (Tashkent)
Uzbekistan 0-4 Philippines
