VietNamNet Bridge – Hosts Viet Nam clinched a berth in the semi-finals of the AFF Under-19 Championship when they beat seven-man Myanmar 3-1 at HCM City’s Thong Nhat Stadium.
The Vietnamese squad stepped up the pace in the second half after falling behind 1-0. Four players on the Myanmar side were sent off.
In the 37th minute, Myanmar took the lead with a goal from Kyaw Ko Ko who lobbed the ball over the head of advancing Vietnamese goalkeeper Tran Anh Duc in a quick counter-attack.
The turning-point of the match came in the 43rd minute when Myat Naing Aung was sent off for a foul on Nguyen Dinh Bao and Aung Zaw Lin and Kyaw Ko Ko were also sent off.
Entering the second half with a big advantage over eight-man Myanmar, Vietnamese players put constant pressure on the opposition and Nguyen Dinh Bao scored the equaliser just one minute near the hour mark.
Ha Minh Tuan helped the hosts lead 2-1 in the 70th minute with a low shot inside the box after a solo performance.
In the 82nd minute, Myanmar were left with only seven players when Tin Win Aung was sent off the field with a second yellow card.
Skipper Nguyen Van Quyet completed the victory of 3-1 with a long-distance shot into the high corner of the goal in the second minute of injury time.
"Myanmar are a good team with skillful and strong young players and they played a tough game in the first half," Vo Hoang Buu, head coach of the Vietnamese team, said in an after-match press conference.
"But due to ill-temper and impatience, Myanmar players behaved badly on the pitch and some players were sent off, giving us a big advantage."
Soe Myint Lwin, technical director of the Myanmar Football Federation, said his team wanted to apologise to the Viet Nam Football Federation and fans for players’ behaviour on the pitch.
"Our players are still very young and inexperienced," he said.
Viet Nam are likely to remain unbeaten in the group stage and secures the top spot in the group when they take on the underdog Timor Leste in Thong Nhat Stadium tomorrow, August 8.
In the group’s other match in Thanh Long Sport Centre, Malaysia thrashed Timor Leste 7-1 to brighten their chances of making the semis in the championship. They only need a draw with Myanmar in the final match of the group stage.
In group A, Singapore beat Cambodia 3-1 to take second place behind Thailand, who drew 1-1 to Australia. Australia placed third and have to win the final match to keep their hopes of getting into the last four alive.
The tournament attracted eight national U19 teams and was divided into two groups. All matches take place in Thanh Long Sport Centre and Thong Nhat Stadium.
VietNamNet/Viet Nam News
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