Cong Phuong scores, Vietnam team wins big against Indonesia

Before this match, a statistic showed that Coach Park Hang-seo lost 80% of his matches against Mr. Shin Tae-yong - Head Coach of Indonesia National Team when both of them were leading Korean clubs in K.League. However, at the national team level, it is a completely different story.

Vietnamese players show their determination to win. Photo: VNA/Vietnamplus

With a better quality squad, the red shirt players were completely superior in professional indicators, from ball possession rate, number of corner kicks, number of shots, number of opportunities and most importantly, goals.

Tien Linh, Quang Hai, Cong Phuong, and Van Thanh were the players who scored, but all positions of the Vietnamese national team played well to maintain pressure on the opponent's field throughout the match.

This match marked the return of goalkeeper Bui Tan Truong to the national team after many years and this goalkeeper had a rather leisurely match against the weak attack of the Indonesian players as well as the excellence of the defensive players above.

This was also the match where Nghe An player Phan Van Duc returned to the national team after more than 2 years of absence and this striker was immediately named in the starting lineup by coach Park Hang-seo. Although he did not have many opportunities to approach the opponent's goal to finish, his clever movements and passes helped the Vietnamese team's attack to be maintained.

However, before scoring 4 goals in the second half, the Vietnamese team encountered many difficulties in the first half, despite creating many scoring opportunities. Right in the 6th minute, from a corner kick, Quang Hai, instead of pouring the ball into the penalty area for his teammate to head as usual, unexpectedly sent the ball outside for Tuan Anh to run up and volley the ball very strongly into the middle of the goal, forcing the Indonesian team's goalkeeper to struggle to push the ball out.

Tuan Anh's dangerous shot at the beginning of the match. Photo: VnExpress.net

5 minutes later, from an attack on the right wing, Van Toan accelerated down and shot decisively but unfortunately the ball went wide of the post.

To limit the speed and technique of the red-shirted players, the Indonesian players played quite aggressively and were not afraid to commit fouls. After enduring many malicious attacks from their opponents, in the 36th minute, midfielder Tuan Anh was sent off. He was replaced by his teammate at Hoang Anh Gia Lai Club, Xuan Truong.

The Vietnamese team took the initiative to play slowly and steadily to limit the opponents' hot heads but still had a chance to score in the 28th minute after midfielder Phan Van Duc skillfully handled and finished at a narrow angle. However, the first half ended without any goals being scored.

Entering the second half, Luong Xuan Truong's calmness and sharpness in the midfield helped the Vietnamese team maintain a strong attacking position. Right in the 46th minute, the midfielder from Hoang Anh Gia Lai Club had a powerful long-range shot, sending the ball out of the reach of goalkeeper Nadeo but unfortunately the ball hit the crossbar.

Finally, what the fans were waiting for came in the 51st minute. From Hong Duy's pass, Tien Linh ran down to receive the ball in a comfortable position. Although the striker's first shot was blocked by an Indonesian defender, the highest striker of the Vietnam national team still managed to receive the rebounded ball, shoot diagonally, and hit the post and bounced into the net. Although the Indonesian players reacted strongly, claiming that the ball had touched the Vietnam national team striker's hand, the referee still recognized the goal.

In the 61st minute, Phan Van Duc left the field to make way for Nguyen Hoang Duc. Right in the first attack when Hoang Duc entered the field, the Vietnamese team scored a goal to raise the score to 2-0. Receiving the ball outside the penalty area, the 2019 Vietnamese Golden Ball turned and shot very quickly, the ball went deep into the far corner of the goal, leaving goalkeeper Nadeo helpless.

Vietnam national team players celebrate Quang Hai's goal to increase the score to 2-0. Photo: Bongdaplus.vn

Just 6 minutes later, the Vietnamese team scored a goal to raise the score to 3-0. From a corner kick from the right wing by Xuan Truong, Tien Linh jumped high and headed the ball in, the ball bounced into the chest of Cong Phuong who was waiting and went into the net, to the amazement of the Indonesian players.

Cong Phuong's joy after scoring the goal that raised the score to 3-0. Photo: Zing.vn

The nightmare of the Indonesian players did not stop there when in the 74th minute, from the right wing, Van Thanh dribbled down the ball very quickly, turned his right foot past an Indonesian player and then launched a beautiful left-footed shot, sending the ball past the reach of goalkeeper Nadeo, raising the score to 4-0.

Despite conceding goals one after another, the Indonesian players were completely helpless in finding an equalizer against the tight midfield and defense of the Vietnamese team. The most memorable attack of the players from the archipelago occurred in the 71st minute when one of their players shot very hard from the edge of the penalty area, hitting the crossbar of the Vietnamese team.

Meanwhile, in the last 10 minutes, the Vietnamese players proactively slowed down the pace of the match to avoid unnecessary injuries and penalties. The final score was 4-0 in favor of the Vietnamese team.

However, the joy of victory for the Vietnamese team was not complete when Quang Hai received a yellow card in the first half. In addition to the yellow card in the 1-0 win over Malaysia on October 10, 2019, this midfielder has been suspended for the upcoming match against Malaysia (June 11). In addition, midfielder Tuan Anh was in pain and the extent of the injury is unknown.

In the same match, UAE players defeated Thailand with a score of 3-1.

With this result, Vietnam still maintains the top position in Group G of the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers with 14 points; UAE is ranked second with 2 points less. The remaining positions belong to Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia respectively./.

Starting lineup:

Vietnam:Tan Truong - Van Thanh, Duy Manh, Ngoc Hai, Tien Dung, Hong Duy - Van Toan, Tuan Anh, Quang Hai, Van Duc - Tien Linh.

Indonesia:Nadeo - Asnawi, Arif, Rizky, Pratama - Rachmat, Syahrian - Yakob, Evan Dimas, Osvaldo – Yudo

Goals: Tien Linh (51'), Quang Hai (61'), Cong Phuong (67'), Van Thanh (74')