Vietnam crush Philippines in Southeast Asian U19 event

Hanoi (VNS/VNA) – Vietnam crushed the Philippines 4-1 in the 2022 Southeast Asian U19 Football Championship held in Indonesia on July 4 afternoon.

Following the goalless draw against Indonesia in the first match, Vietnam were determined to secure three points.

From the off, Vietnam were on the front foot. After missing two good chances in the opening exchanges, striker Nguyen Quoc Viet found the net with his third early effort to open the scoring.

In the 16th minute, striker Nguyen Van Truong had a good chance to double the lead but after dribbling through the defence his effort was saved by Lance Jeter Aquino Bencio.

With the sun beating down in Indonesia, Vietnam conserved their energy in the first half to ensure they never ran out of steam.

The Philippines pushed for an equaliser but couldn’t beat Cao Van Binh in Vietnam's goal.

After the break, Dinh Bac’s pinpoint free-kick was met by Viet, who headed home to double the lead.

In the 51st minute, the Philippines had the opportunity to narrow the gap when Sandro Reyes was clean through but his shot went over the crossbar.

However, two minutes later, Sandro Reyes did manage to claw one back for the Philippines.

As the clock ticked, Vietnam made the game safe, with midfielder Nguyen Van Khang scoring from the spot after he was fouled inside the penalty area.

In the 77th minute, Antoine Ortega fouled striker Truong in the Philippines's penalty area giving the referee no choice but to point at the spot for a second time.

Truong stepped up and cooly slotted home, Panenka-style to take the score to 4-1.

Vietnam will next face Brunei on July 6, Myanmar on July 8 and then Thailand on July 10.

The regional event have attracted the participation of 11 teams who were divided into two groups, competing in a round-robin format. The first and second teams in each group win the right to the semi-finals.

The tournament will finish on July 15.

Vietnam won the Southeast Asian U19 Championship once in 2007./.

VNA