From the depths of despair, My Dinh Stadium erupted in excitement as Van Thanh and Vu Minh Tuan scored consecutive goals, giving Vietnam a 2-1 lead at the end of the second leg of the AFF Suzuki Cup 2016 semi-final on the evening of December 7th.
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| With only about six minutes of regular time remaining in the second half, the score was still 1-0 in favor of Indonesia. The home team was then down to 10 men after goalkeeper Nguyen Manh received a red card. Photo: Ngoc Thanh. |
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| Amidst rising despair, the Vietnamese team unexpectedly equalized 1-1 with a goal from left-back Van Thanh in a set-piece situation in the 84th minute. Photo: Duc Dong. |
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| Van Thanh is one of the most consistent players in the national team currently, with his tireless ability to contribute to both attack and defense. |
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| The flame of hope, which seemed to have died out, suddenly flared up with a goal from the defender who came through HAGL's youth academy. |
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| In the first leg, Coach Huu Thang's team lost 1-2, and their task now is to win by at least the same score to take the match to extra time. |
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| The entire team then poured all their energy into attacks during the short time remaining. Photo: Duc Dong. |
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| On the sidelines, substitute players and coaching staff members were also restless, shouting encouragement to their teammates to give their all in the remaining time. Photo: Duc Dong. |
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| The impatient disappointment was evident on the faces of each team member after every unsuccessful attack. Photo: Duc Dong. |
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| And the pressure exerted by the waves of red shirts eventually paid off with a goal from substitute Vu Minh Tuan, making the score 2-1. Photo: Giang Huy. |
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| Minh Tuan celebrated the goal with tears in his eyes, remembering his recently deceased father. Beside him, his teammates were overjoyed. |
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| Indonesia seemed to collapse. From having a significant advantage, they conceded a 3-3 equalizer and had to go into extra time to decide the winner. Photo: Giang Huy. |
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| Despite Indonesia equalizing 2-2 in extra time and ultimately eliminating Vietnam 3-4, the Vietnamese team still created one of the most thrilling matches in years. The final 11 minutes of the second half of regular time were particularly unforgettable. Photo: Duc Dong. |
According to VNE
