Two goals from Quang Hai and Captain Van Quyet in the first half, along with another goal by Cong Phuong in the second half, gave Vietnam a good start at the largest continental sporting event.
Vietnam entered the game with great determination against underdogs Pakistan and soon created huge pressure on the rivals’ goal. The team from the Southeast Asian region launched continuous attacks but Van Quyet and Van Thanh missed several chances to make a difference.
Vietnam U23 starting lineup. (Photo: Vietnam Football Federation)
However, Vietnam opened the scoring after a lot of attacking efforts. In the 21st minute, Cong Phuong and Quang Hai combined well before the latter beat the offside trap and calmly placed the ball between the legs of goalkeeper Saqib Hanif and into the net.
The Vietnamese team continued to dominate the game but it wasn’t until the 42nd minute that they managed to find the second goal thanks to a rifled finish from Van Quyet.
It could’ve been 3-0 for Vietnam in the 45th minute as Quang Hai was fouled in the Pakistani penalty area. However, Cong Phuong unfortunately hit the crossbar before the first half ended in a 2-0 lead for his team.
The game continued in the same vein in the second half in favour of Vietnam U23, as their rivals found it hard to launch attacks on the other side.
Quang Hai opened the scoring for Vietnam U23 in the 21st minute. (Photo: Vietnam Football Federation)
In the 54th minute, Vietnam were granted a free kick in a good position, but striker Quang Hai curled a nearly perfect shot just inches wide of the post.
In the 69th minute, Cong Phuong earned Vietnam a second penalty as he was brought down in the box. However, once again the striker missed the golden chance to widen the gap as his 11m finish was denied by goalie Saqib Hanif.
But the Hoang Anh Gia Lai player did not have to wait long to get his name on the scoreboard. Only four minutes after missing the second penalty, Cong Phuong received the ball from substitute Van Duc before decisively beating Hanif in a 1-on-1 situation to make it 3-0 for Vietnam.
Cong Phuong was the highlight as he missed two penalties but scored one goal and provided an assist in his team’s opening match on August 14. (Photo: zing.vn)
The last minutes of the game continued to witness Vietnam strengthening their attacks in search of more goals but Van Quyet, Van Duc and then substitute Ha Duc Chinh could not find the net.
The match ended with a 3-0 win for the Vietnamese team. Coach Park Hang-seo and his players met the set task of winning three points ahead of the opening match. They will face Nepal U23 on August 16 and then Japan U23 on August 19.
Source: NDO
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