Ha Duc Chinh (number 18) scores the first goal for Vietnam (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam’sU23 team beat Thailand 4-0 in the last match of Group K within the AsianFootball Confederation (AFC) U23 Championship qualifiers at Hanoi’s My DinhStadium on March 26, securing a berth in the final rounds in Thailand nextyear.
Ha Duc Chinh (number 18) scoredthe first goal for Vietnam in the 17th minute. From a through ballin the midfield, Chinh shot through the legs of Thailand’s goalkeeper to openthe scoreboard.
In the 21st minute,Vietnam’s Doan Van Hau (number 5) received a yellow card for fouling on a Thai player.
Thailand pushed up their game,but made almost no serious threats against Vietnam.
In an effort to follow the ball,Trieu Viet Hung (number 7) of Vietnam committed a foul and got a yellow card.
The first half ended with twoadditional minutes and no more goals scored.
Just a few minutes into thesecond half, Vietnam’s captain Nguyen Quang Hai (number 19) dribbled past fourThailand players and crossed inside the box for Nguyen Hoang Duc (number 14).Duc volleyed the ball in, netting the second score for Vietnam in the 53rd minute.
In the 63rd minute, centre-backNguyen Thanh Chung (number 16), from a free-kick, taped it in for Vietnam,securing the third goal of the match.
In the 92nd minutejust before the end of the match, Vietnam netted the fourth time, withsubstitute Tran Thanh Son (number 8) making it 4-0 via an unstoppable shot.
With the victory, Vietnam now officiallyqualifies for the final round of the 2020 AFC U23 Championship with the firstplace of group K. Meanwhile, Thailand has a default place as the host of the2020 AFC U23 Championship.
Vietnam were in Group K in thequalifiers, along with Thailand, Indonesia and Brunei. Matches for the grouptook place at the My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi from March 22 to 26.
Earlier, Vietnam thrashed Brunei6-0 on March 22 and defeated Indonesia 1-0 two days later.
Meanwhile, Thailand beatIndonesia 4-0 and defeated Brunei 8-0 in the pervious matches.
The biennial tournament hasattracted 44 teams which have been divided into 11 groups of four. The top 16teams will qualify for the finals in Thailand next year.–VNA
VNA
