Hanoi (VNA) –ꦑ Vietnam tied Jordan1-1 in the last group round match of the 2019 Asian Cup qualification on March27 in Amman city.

The result did not change the position ofboth sides in Group C as Jordan remained the top team with 12 points andVietnam second with 10. Travelling more than 10,000km acrossseveral time zones to Amman did not affect Vietnamese player’s physique in thesecond leg match against tall and husky Jordanian rivals. The Southeast Asian representative evensilenced thousands of local fans when they opened the score at the 24th minute. The visitors’ counter-attack began withmid-fielder Luong Xuan Truong in the central area. The national U23 captaingave the ball to the right wing to winger Pham Xuan Manh, who delivered it pastthree Jordanian defenders to reach striker Nguyen Anh Duc in the box. The Vietnam2017 Golden Ball winner Duc made an easy tap-in to defeat captain andgoalkeeper Ahmad Nawwas. It could be a day to remember for Manh ashis debut for the national team he made an accurate assist for the openinggoal. Vietnam should have notched a second goaljust five minutes later as striker Nguyen Cong Phuong made a long distancefinish that beat all Jordanian players and the keeper but was denied by thecross bar. Vietnam suffered an unexpected change whenkeeper Dang Van Lam experienced hip pain in the 39th minute and was replaced byNguyen Tuan Manh. Jordan opened more attacks, using high balltechniques to maximise the advantage of their height and burly builds. However theyfailed to break the thick Vietnamese defence who successfully maintained theirlead until the end of the first half. The second half saw the hosts apply heavypressure. Their consecutive attacks yielded results in the 71st minute when AbuAmara sent the ball to the high corner of keeper Manh to level the score. Amara and substitute Yaseen Allahhamcontinued to test Manh but the Vietnamese goalie did a good job saving the net. Both Jordan and Vietnam have qualified forthe Cup finals next January in United Arab Emirates. It will be Vietnam’s second time whileJordan will enjoy their fourth time. In the first time in 2007 Vietnam enteredthe quarter-finals, Jordan’s best result was also the quarter-finals, whichthey reached in 2004 and 2011. In other matches of the group, Jabar Sharzascored twice as Afghanistan closed out their tournament with a 2-1 win overCambodia on March 27 evening at the Pamir Stadium in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Victory ensure Otto Pfister’s team claimedthird place in Group C with six points from their six games while Cambodiaended at the bottom of the standings three points behind. - VNA