Asiad 2018: Vietnam surprisingly defeated China in men's volleyball
Against a strong candidate for the gold medal, the Vietnamese boys played a match of their lives, winning 3-2 at the GBK Indoor Sports Palace, Jakarta (Indonesia) on the morning of August 20.
The 2018 Asian Games men's volleyball competition has 20 teams participating. Vietnam is in Group E with China, Thailand and Sri Lanka. Facing strong opponents, the team aims to enter the tournament with the spirit of learning and competition. However, in the opening match at 10am, coach Phung Cong Hung and his team caused a stir when they won with a score of 25-23, 26-24, 19-25, 22-25, 21-19.
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Chinese men's volleyball has reached the world's top level, so even when they participate in the tournament with a young team, Vietnam is still compared to "a grasshopper kicking a car". Photo:Dong Huyen |
Although not having the strongest squad in the tournament, China was still highly regarded and seeded fourth. In the first set, they showed dominance and took a two-point lead. The Vietnamese players then persisted to tie the game at 5-5, then unexpectedly took a two-point lead. The gap was leveled at 17-17, and the two teams fought for each point. However, at the decisive moments, Vietnam took full advantage. While Guan Zhongyi successfully blocked the ball once, Pham Thai Hung scored three consecutive points to close the first set with a 25-23 victory.
With high spirits, Coach Phung Cong Hung's players attacked from the start to continuously lead in the second set. They were then tied at 6-6 and were constantly in a position to chase with a gap of three to four points. This gap was maintained by China until 19-16. However, Vietnam played better and better, starting with the bright spot of Tu Thanh Thuan. He and his teammates took full advantage of each point to equalize 19-19, then won 26-24 after their opponents failed to neutralize Quan Trong Nghia's serve.
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Vietnamese players share joy with a few fans who came to cheer them on. Photo:Dong Huyen |
In the third and fourth sets, China continuously took the lead and won with scores of 25-19 and 25-22 respectively, bringing the match into a fifth set. In the deciding set, China led by four points at one point (11-7) and then 13-11. But once again, Vietnam rose up. Coach Phung Cong Hung's players tied the score at 13-13 and then 15-15. The two teams continued to fight. And with precision in the decisive shots, Vietnam ended the set with a score of 21-19, winning 3-2 overall.
Vietnam will meet Sri Lanka at 4:30 p.m. on August 23 and Thailand at 7 p.m. on August 24.
In the opening match of women's volleyball yesterday, Vietnam lost to China 0-3.
