With a resounding victory over East Timor, Vietnam U23 team advances to the semi-finals.

(Baonghean.vn) - Vietnam U23 secured an easy victory against East Timor U23 to advance to the semi-finals of the men's football tournament at the 28th SEA Games.

Prior to this match, the Vietnam U23 team had secured three consecutive victories in the men's football tournament at the 28th SEA Games (6-0, 5-1, 1-0) against Brunei U23, Malaysia U23, and Laos U23 respectively. Coach Toshiya Miura's team has 9 points and is currently ranked second in Group B behind Thailand U23 (12 points), but with one game in hand. A draw would be enough for Vietnam U23 to advance to the semi-finals along with Thailand U23.

The U23 players celebrate their overwhelming victory over U23 East Timor (photo VNE).

Vietnam's opponent today is U23 East Timor, who have 3 points after 3 matches and are currently ranked 3rd. If U23 East Timor get 6 points after the remaining two matches and Vietnam lose to U23 Thailand in the final match, then East Timor will rank above Vietnam in Group B (based on head-to-head record) to qualify for the semi-finals.

Coach Miura always has long-term strategies planned for this tournament, so he consistently applies player rotation in recent matches. In this game, Coach Miura fielded a completely different lineup compared to the previous three matches. Cong Phuong was on the bench, while Phi Son and Mac Hong Quan played in the highest positions in the attack. Ngoc Thang and Huy Toan were positioned on the wings, and Duy Manh and Huy Hung played in the midfield, part of the four-man midfield for the Vietnam U23 team. The defensive line was arranged quite differently from what fans had predicted, with Ngoc Thinh and Tien Dung as the two strikers and Ngoc Hai and Duc Huy as the two wingbacks.

On the other side, coach Fabio Magrao also fielded his strongest players from the start, including naturalized players from Portugal and Brazil such as midfielder Barbosa De Almeida, striker Jairo Neto...

Returning to the main events of the match, Vietnam U23 took the initiative, playing an attacking game from the very first minutes, putting strong pressure on East Timor's defense. The ball was constantly developed from the flanks, where wing midfielders Huy Toàn and Ngọc Thắng, and full-back Ngọc Hải, were positioned. These players made several well-placed passes to Phi Sơn, who, with his excellent positioning and agility, created several surprises for East Timor's goal. In the 12th minute, from a cross from the right wing by Quế Ngọc Hải, Phi Sơn unleashed a powerful header that beat the East Timor goalkeeper, giving Vietnam U23 a 1-0 lead.

After the goal was scored, our team continued to besiege East Timor's goal. In the 22nd minute, Ngoc Thang skillfully dribbled the ball inside the penalty area and unleashed a powerful and dangerous shot, but unfortunately, the ball hit the crossbar and went out. Then, in the 35th minute, Phi Son created another opportunity; the player shot with the inside of his right foot, but the ball narrowly missed the post.

Phi Son played exceptionally well in this match (photo: Bongdaplus)

Phi Son played quite prominently in the first half, with many skillful ball handling maneuvers that repeatedly caused difficulties for the East Timor defense. In addition, in the first half, players like Ngoc Thang, Huy Toan, and Mac Hong Quan also had quite good coordination and incredibly spontaneous plays. Despite creating many scoring opportunities, the U23 Vietnam strikers were unlucky, and the score at halftime remained a minimal difference in our favor.

Despite their best efforts in the first half, East Timor failed to create many chances that could surprise the Vietnamese defense. Striker Jairo Neto played hard, but he was quite isolated in attack, lacking players capable of combining with him to create breakthroughs. The East Timor defense played very poorly, failing to mark the Vietnamese U23 attackers on several occasions.

In the opening minutes of the second half, from a cross from the right wing by Que Ngoc Hai (the defender from Song Lam Nghe An FC), Mac Hong Quan headed the ball neatly into the net, increasing Vietnam's lead to 2-0. In the 52nd minute, Phi Son – "Vietnam's Ronaldo" – had a shot that narrowly missed the East Timor goal. Then, in the 56th minute, Que Ngoc Hai scored Vietnam's third goal. From a cross from the right wing, the ball deflected off the top of his foot and flew straight into the East Timor net. It was a fantastic game for Que Ngoc Hai; he not only scored but also assisted a teammate's goal.

An impressive performance by Que Ngoc Hai (photo: Bongdaplus)

In the 62nd minute, the score was increased to 4-0 for Vietnam U23. Thanh Binh's shot rebounded, and Huy Toan was there in time to score, making it 4-0 for our team. After the goal, Vietnam U23 deliberately slowed down their attack, played defensively, and waited for the referee's final whistle.

Winning 4-0 and with no players injured, Coach Miura's team had a very successful match against East Timor.

With this resounding victory, Vietnam U23 reclaimed the top spot in the group from Thailand U23 and secured their place in the semi-finals. In the final match, Vietnam U23 will face Thailand U23 to compete for first place in Group B.

Duc Anh