Despite confronting a higher-ranked Czech Republic side, Vietnam fought bravely to secure a 1-1 draw, enough to send them through to the last 16 as one of the four best third-placed teams for the second consecutive time.
After the match, the AFC published an article on the result, in which it stressed that with the Czechs dictating play, Vietnam broke the deadlock against the run of play in the 35th minute through Chau Doan Phat, who finished off an excellent team move.
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On its Twitter account, FIFA ran a description about the result of the match that read “Both sides book tickets to the Futsal World Cup knockout stage after an absorbing encounter.”
Not just impressing FIFA and the AFC, Vietnam’s performance also resonated across Southeast Asia after making it through to the World Cup Round of 16.
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Touching upon the feat of Pham Minh Giang’s troops, ASEAN Football, a Facebook page about football in Southeast Asia, posted it is a “miracle” as Vietnam drew with world No. 15 Czech Republic to advance as one of the four best third-placed sides.
In the comment section of the post, regional fans, including those from Thailand, also praised Vietnam’s display and extended their congratulations to the team.
