Vietnam win bronze at regional U22 football champ with narrow win over hosts Cambodia
The late goal by substitute Le Xuan Tu helped Vietnam U22s overcome hosts Cambodia by a narrow margin 1-0 to finish third at the 2019 AFF U22 Youth Championship on February 26.
Facing a deadlock for most of the match, the substitute by coach Nguyen Quoc Tuan brought a narrow 1-0 victory for Vietnam U22s (in red). (Photo: dantri.com.vn)
Vietnam U22s entered the third-placed playoff match on Tuesday afternoon with the strongest squad as they welcomed back key players in the starting lineup, including striker Tran Danh Trung and defender Bui Tien Dung.
Coach Nguyen Quoc Tuan's side actively attacked right from the opening whistle. However, they encountered a range of difficulties against Cambodia as the hosts played defensively to limit the attacks from the red-shirts.
Instead of short-range passing in the midfield, Vietnam U22s were forced to make a lot of crosses from two wings to beat the focused defensive line of Cambodia. The crosses we directed to the position of Danh Trung but the No. 19 striker proved ineffective.
Despite controlling the game, Vietnam faced extreme an deadlocked in most of the first half.
Meanwhile, Cambodian counter-attacks were quite dangerous. If they had been more accurate in their final finishes, Vietnam would’ve conceded after several counter-attacks from the hosts.
The situation was the same in the second half, even Vietnam U22s played better compared to the first 45 minutes. A goal seemed too much of a luxury for them until the last minutes when coach Quoc Tuan fielded substitute Le Xuan Tu, bringing a new change for the team’s attacking line.
Le Xuan Tu (No. 9) celebrates his goal in the 86th minute. (Photo: dantri.com.vn)
The change paid off as the No. 9 striker netted a coolly-finished header after only a minute on the field, putting Vietnam ahead.
The remaining time was not enough for Cambodia U22s to reverse the situation. Their best opportunity in the second half came in injury time but No. 7 Sin Kakada could not beat Vietnamese goalie Y Eli Nie's excellent reflexes. The narrow 1-0 win helped Vietnam U22s to close their campaign at the tournament with third place.
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