HÀ NỘI — Hoàng Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) lost to FC Seoul of South Korea 1-2 in the opening match of the International U19 Football Tournament yesterday.

The game was held at Pleiku Stadium in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai.

Both coach Guillaume Graechen of HAGL and Myung Jinyoung of Seoul used their best line-up in this game to earn three points for a strong start.

The visitors had two chances to top the opener in the 13th and 18th minutes but Kwon Sungyun and Jung HanMin couldn’t beat goal keeper Dương Văn Lợi of the host team.

Taking full advantage of playing on the home turf, HAGL fought back strongly and Lê Minh Bình opened the score for the hosts in the 41st minute.

However, only two minutes later, Park Geon Joon made his name with a goal to level the score of 1-1.

Park’s goal was a driving force for the visitors to play more aggressively. Before the first half closed, Lee Ing Yu raised the score to 2-1 for the South Korean footballers.

After the break, HAGL played attack continuously with the hope of narrowing the gap. They changed their players and tactics but remained out of luck.

With only four minutes left, the visitors were reduced to 10 men as Jeon Wooram was sent off for two bookable offences.

The hosts tried to turn their numeric advantage into more goals, but failed even with extra time.

The team, who finished third in the same event last year, aimed to take the trophy of this international event.

In other match played later, Việt Nam U19 team defeated Chonburi of Thailand 3-0.

The tournament has attracted the participation of six teams including HAGL, Chonburi, FC Seoul, Mito Hollyhock of Japan and Việt Nam U19.

Teams will compete in a round robin format to seek the winner. All matches will be broadcast live on VTC News. — VNS