Vietnamese players celebrate the opening goal scored by Nguyễn Văn Vĩ. VNA/VNS Photo

Anh Đức

CIBINONG — It can file it as Việt Nam's best game of this ASEAN Championship.

Even the 7-0 trouncing of Timor-Leste could not compare to this performance, as Việt Nam convinced both their fans and opponents, beating title contenders Indonesia by three goals to nil.

For those who witnessed the defending champions struggling at home and held to a draw by Singapore just four days earlier, the scoreline in the Pakansari Stadium was a shocking result. Three goals, with two in the first fifteen minutes, downed Indonesia at their home stadium.

The 0-0 draw against Singapore put Kim Sang-sik's men between a rock and a hard place. A loss in Pakansari meant at least a 90 per cent chance of elimination, drawing here, and that possibility cuts down to a third.

Coach Kim vowed to make changes after the draw, but none could have foreseen his surprise rotations. Core players such as the dynamic duo of Nguyễn Xuân Son (Rafaelson) and Đỗ Hoàng Hên (Hendrio), as well as superstars Nguyễn Quang Hải and Đoàn Văn Hậu were all benched. Nguyễn Đình Bắc, who was subbed off early last match, started his third game in a row, and even played the full 90 minutes with partner Nguyễn Tài Lộc (Geovane) upfront.

One of Kim's surprise selections was Lê Phạm Thành Long, who replaced Quang Hải in central midfield. The change created a well-balanced midfield, as Thành Long was more defensive than Quang Hải, which allowed playmaker Nguyễn Hoàng Đức to dictate the game more often.

In the sixth minute, Nguyễn Hai Long, another new addition to the starting line up, successfully pressed the Indonesian defenders, snatched the ball and sent it to Hoàng Đức, who crossed for Nguyễn Văn Vĩ to fire home in Nadeo Argawinata's near corner, opening the scoring for Việt Nam.

To say that Thành Long is just a defensive player  would not do him justice. In the 15th minute, Thành Long pulled off a great ball to an unmarked Hai Long on the left wing, who sprinted until he came face to face with Nadeo, and fooled the keeper again with a shot into the near corner, cementing Việt Nam's lead and sending Pakansari silent.

Indonesia, which boasts a plethora of overseas Indonesian talent from the Netherlands, Belgium, etc., pushed higher for a goal, but on a day where the Vietnamese defence made zero mistakes, combined with the immense talent of Lê Giang Patrik in goal, the hosts were left disappointed in the first half.

The Garuda's manager, John Herdman, who was once the manager of Canada's national team, started his match way above, looking down from an area of the stands where he could have a top-down view of the match. Herdman was calm before and during the first minutes, but eventually had to come down to the field, and angrily shouted instructions to his players.

The hosts as expected, put up more pressure in the second half, but the away team had more chances, by following Coach Kim's counter attack plan.

With Indonesia going all-out in the final minutes, Kim brought on the Brazillian-born strikers Xuân Son and Hoàng Hên, reuniting the attacking trio that scored seven past Timor-Leste. The changes worked immediately with the final blow hitting Indonesia in the 70th minute.

Hoàng Đức's performance today perhaps has silenced his critics, and his assist in the 70th minute was nothing but pure class: Việt Nam's No.14 danced past many Indonesian players, before pulling a great through ball towards Xuân Son, who gracefully put the ball into the back of Indonesia's net confirming Việt Nam's resounding 3-0 victory away from home.

With this result, Việt Nam now top Group A, and are 99 per cent assured of qualification into the semifinals, should they not lose to Cambodia on Friday in Mỹ Đình by a large deficit. 

Herdman's Indonesia on the other hand, need to win away against Singapore to get out of group stage. — VNS