Van Toan regrets not having his goal recognized. Photo: Duc Dong

In the match at Thuwunna Stadium, Yangon, Qatari referee Khamis Al Marri also made many decisions that were disadvantageous to Vietnam. In addition to not awarding a penalty to Myanmar in the situation where Van Hau was pushed down in the penalty area, Mr. Al Marri also only gave three minutes of extra time in the second half even though many Myanmar players were lying on the field and injured and had to be treated by doctors. "When there were only 13 minutes left in the second half, substitute player Nguyen Van Toan scored a rebound into the Myanmar net, after a long-range shot by Nguyen Quang Hai. However, the linesman raised the flag for the 22-year-old striker, flagging him for offside. The decision was considered sensitive. The goalless draw put the two teams ahead of Malaysia, but the gap was only one point," journalist Gabriel Tan wrote onFox Sports Asia.

The person who raised the flag to flag Van Toan offside was Thai assistant referee Phubes Lekpha. Mr. Phubes, 37 years old, often holds the flag in the Thai National Championship. Last month, he was invited to be a linesman in the friendly match between Myanmar and Bolivia, with the South American team winning 3-0.

Overall, journalist Tan said that Vietnam had more scoring opportunities than the home team: "Phan Van Duc was unlucky with his shot hitting the post in the first half. After that, Quang Hai also dribbled past several Myanmar defenders, but his shot was blocked by goalkeeper Kyaw Zin Htet. The Myanmar goalkeeper maintained his excellent form in the second half, denying Do Hung Dung and Nguyen Cong Phuong opportunities."

The 0-0 result prevented Vietnam from reaching the top of Group A. However, if they defeat Cambodia - a team that is certain to be eliminated - at Hang Day Stadium on November 24, Coach Park Hang-seo's team will enter the semi-finals.