Vietnam delivered a brilliant showing whilst hosting Li Xiaopeng’s side at My Dinh National Stadium, scoring twice before halftime and adding another in the second half to grab their first points in the final round of the World Cup qualifying campaign.
Captain Do Hung Dung played a big part in the first two goals of Vietnam as he offered assists to help Ho Tan Tai and Nguyen Tien Linh get on the scoresheet after just 16 minutes.
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Ho Tan Tai celebrates opening the scoring for Vietnam. (Photo: NDO/Tran Hai)
Tan Tai rose up to sharply head home Hung Dung’s left-flank cross to put Park Hang-seo’s troops ahead in the ninth minute before Tien Linh ran onto a ball from the Vietnamese captain and slotted home from inside the area seven minutes later.
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Nguyen Tien Linh (#22) celebrates with teammates after doubling Vietnam's advantage. (Photo: NDO/Tran Hai)
China then pushed hard to narrow the gap, but the brilliance of goalkeeper Nguyen Manh prevented them from realising their intention before the break.
A few minutes into the second half, China managed to find the back of the net thanks to Zhang Yuning’s goal, which was, however, disallowed due to offside.
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Vietnam's Nguyen Quang Hai in action during the match. (Photo: NDO/Tran Hai)
As Li Xiaopeng’s side continued to work hard for a goal, they were dealt another blow in the 76th minute as substitute Phan Van Duc made it 3-0 for Vietnam just six minutes off the bench with a wonderful left foot strike from long range.
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Substitute Phan Van Duc (#20) adds a third goal for Vietnam within only six minutes off the bench. (Photo: NDO/Tran Hai)
China’s efforts in the remainder of the match only brought them a consolation goal in stoppage time thanks to Xu Xin’s close-range attempt.
With the convincing win, the Golden Star Warriors have put an end to their losing run in the final round of the World Cup Asian Qualifiers. Park Hang-seo’s troops are also the first Southeast Asian team to secure a victory in the same campaign.
