Nguyễn Quốc Việt (No 9) celebrates his goal which opened the scoring between Việt Nam and Myanmar at the 2022 AFF U19 Youth Championship yesterday afternoon. Photo VFF

Football

Thanh Nga

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam defeated Myanmar 3-1 to top Group A of the 2022 AFF U19 Youth Championship in Indonesia yesterday afternoon.

In the third minute, striker Nguyễn Quốc Việt beat Myanmar's defenders to find the goal with his head to nudge Việt Nam in front.

Comforted by scoring so early, Việt Nam looked comfortable with the ball.

In the ninth minute, forward Nguyễn Văn Trường escaped to go face-to-face with Myanmar’s goalkeeper Hein Htet Soe, but confusion over whether he was offside meant he didn't capitalise.

Myanmar, on the other hand,  had difficulty approaching the goal of Việt Nam as Coach Đinh Thế Nam's players defended well.

In the 26th minute, Myanmar won a corner on the left but the ball was well blocked by the Vietnamese defenders.

While Myanmar had more possession than Việt Nam, they couldn't break their opponents down.

In the 38th minute, La Min Htwe found the end of a cross from the right-wing, but his shot went over the bar.

In the last minutes of the first half, captain Khuất Văn Khang hit a freekick with his left foot forcing goalkeeper Soe to make a save.

At the beginning of the second half, coach Nam replaced midfield Nguyễn Minh Trọng with Nguyễn Đức Việt. 

In the 54th minute, Việt Nam doubled the gap with a goal from Khang following some excellent coordination originating from a throw from Hà Châu Phi.

Myanmar had opportunities to attack, but finishing was still a problem for this team. 

Instead, Việt Nam found the net again in the 90th minute. Khang crossed the ball for Việt to head in, making the score 3-0.

In extra time, after some slick play, La Min Htwe grabbed a consolation goal for Myanmar to make the final score 3-1. 

Việt Nam, who won the tournament in 2007, will next face Thailand in the last Group A match on July 10.

The regional event has 11 teams divided into two groups, competing in a round-robin format. The first and second teams in each group will advance to the semi-finals.

The tournament will finish on July 15. VNS