Just two games in and with one still to come in the group stage, Thailand and Vietnam are already both through to the semifinals of the ASEAN Women's Championship -- officially known as the ASEAN MSIG Serenity Cup 2025.
And without breaking much of a sweat.
On Saturday, Thailand racked up their second consecutive 7-0 win in Group A, this time against Cambodia, to continue their dominant start at the tournament.
Later in the evening, with Vietnam following suit with a 7-0 rout of Indonesia, last-four berths for both them and the Thais were secured given there is now no possibility where they will slip outside the top two.
Admittedly against opposition they would have been expected to beat, but both former champions -- Thailand with a record four titles and Vietnam just one behind them -- continued to show why they are legitimate contenders, even if defending champions Philippines still look the team to beat.
With just one player in their squad above the age of 23, Thailand continue to be driven by a young and exciting core.
There is no brighter prospect in their ranks than 17-year-old Madison Casteen, who followed up her long-range effort against Indonesia with a clinical double against the Cambodians.
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But even she was outshone by hat-trick hero Janista Jinantuya, who has now surged to the top of the scorers chart and is proving to be a real talent with her skill, guile and eye for goal even coming in from the left.
Meanwhile, the depth at Vietnam coach Mai Đức Chung's disposal meant that he was able to rotate almost his entire XI from their campaign opener -- with just Nguyễn Thị Bích Thùy, Dương Thị Vân and Lương Thị Thu Thương retaining their spots.
Unlike on the opening day, Indonesia were far improved while Vietnam were not as ruthless in the first half, meaning the latter only had a two-goal lead at the break before they put their foot down after the break as the opposition resistance faltered.
It was still looking like a fairly respectable result for the Indonesians until Vietnam, leading 4-0, piled on three more goals in the final ten minutes to make it an emphatic victory.
It is difficult to find any fault with Thailand or Vietnam from their opening two outings but they both know they will have to pass tougher tests if they are to go all the way.
Neither will have to wait long for that.
On Tuesday, they will each come up against traditional powerhouses of Southeast Asia, who have a strong track record in the history of the competition and made blistering starts at the current edition.
When they take on one another in the Group A finale, Thailand and Vietnam will both get their first big test at the tournament.
Whoever emerges triumphant will go some way in further enhancing their title credentials.