Football

Nguyễn Công Phương of Việt Nam seen in action during the Group A match against Guam at the AFC U20 Asian Cup's Qualifiers on September 25 in Hải Phòng. Photos courtesy VFF

HẢI PHÒNG — Coach Hứa Hiền Vinh was pleased with his players' performance after winning 3-0 over Guam in the AFC U20 Asian Cup's Qualifiers Group A on September 25 in Hải Phòng.

“In terms of score and spirit, I am happy with the players' performance. However, in some situations, they made it too complicated," said Vinh.

"If they did it better, we could score more goals, especially when Guam had only 10 players. That's something we need to improve."

Việt Nam applied pressure on Guam from the first blow of the whistle and came close to scoring in the 12th minute after Nguyễn Bảo Long set up the ball for Nguyễn Lương Tuấn Khải on the right flank, with the defender’s effort forcing Guam keeper Josiah Jones into a save.

Guam flirted with danger in the 17th minute but Nguyễn Lê Phát was too high when he fired an attempted header from inside the box, while an unmarked Nguyễn Đăng Dương saw his effort deflected for a corner.

Vietnamese players celebrate their goals in the 3-0 win over Guam.

Guam’s worst fears were realised after Dabe Augustin handled the ball inside the box, with Phát making no mistake to put Việt Nam ahead in the 23rd minute.

Việt Nam doubled their tally in the first minute of the first half of added time, with Lê Nguyễn Văn Thọ turning in Nguyễn Công Phương’s free kick from close range.

Guam sat deeper in the second half, with Jones pulling out fine saves to keep out Phương twice, first from close range followed by a dangerous cross into the box off a set-piece situation.

Việt Nam had a chance to go three clear in the 72nd minute but Jones’ instinctive reaction foiled substitute Hoàng Minh Tiến’s grounded effort off Phương’s through ball.

The home side, however, added their third with a header from Nguyễn Hoàng Khánh in the first minute of added time.

Coach Hứa Hiền Vinh is happy with Việt Nam's second win at the AFC U20 Asian Cup's Qualifiers Group A.

On September 29, Việt Nam will play Syria, which beat Bhutan 1-0 in an earlier game.

As for rivals in the group, coach Vinh said all teams were playing well and improved in this tournament because everyone wanted more points. Syria, especially, played very well and persistently, he noted.

The team are considered a tough rival for Việt Nam. The winner of this game will take a leading role and qualify for the 2025 AFC U20 Asian Cup Finals. VNS