Vietnam suffered a heavy 0-7 loss to Japan in their September 16 opener, which made a win against Australia a must for them to retain their bid for a place in the next round.
On the opposite side, Australia were also determined to secure the full three points against Vietnam following their opening 0-1 defeat to Kyrgyzstan.
Australia turned up the pressure from the first whistle and quickly progressed, thanks to Roberts’ header in the 19th minute.
As Vietnam were seeking ways to equalise the score, Duy Khiem made a serious defensive mistake in the 28th minute, allowing Roberts to net a second goal for Australia.
After the break, Vietnam increased their attacks with a “nothing to lose” spirit and successfully overwhelmed the Australian side.
Their efforts paid off in the 55th minute as Huu Thang pulled back a goal for his team with a beautiful strike.
Thang’s goal boosted his teammates’ confidence, enabling them to tie up the score six minutes later with Huu Thang beating goalkeeper Suman, who had blocked Van Dat’s powerful shot shortly earlier.
Duy Khiem rounded off a tense 3-2 win for Vietnam, taking advantage of a mistake on the part of the Australian side to seal a third goal in the 86th minute.
With this result, Vietnam climbed to second place in Group B with three points, three points behind leaders Japan and ahead of Kyrgyzstan thanks to a better goal difference.
Vietnam only need a draw with Kyrgyzstan on September 22 to officially book a place in the knockout stage as Group B runners-up.
