Winning the top spot, U16 Vietnam entered the semi-finals of the Southeast Asian Championship

Coach Dinh The Nam and his team tied U16 Philippines 3-3, winning the top spot in Group A and advancing one round early.

U16 Vietnam made a strong impression in Cambodia, remaining undefeated after four matches. Photo: AFF

Winning all three matches against U16 Malaysia (3-0), U16 Australia (3-0) and U16 Myanmar (5-1), U16 Vietnam only needs a draw in the match on the afternoon of July 16 to secure the top spot in Group A and a ticket to the semi-finals of the U16 Southeast Asia tournament taking place in Cambodia. Therefore, coach Dinh The Nam left out a series of key players, leaving only Trong Long and Khac Khiem in the match against the bottom team U19 Philippines. And it was these two players who scored to help U16 Vietnam turn the tables, leading 2-1 after the opponent scored first in the 27th minute.

After Khac Khiem's ​​goal to increase the score in the 62nd minute, U16 Vietnam raised their spirits and attacked continuously. But this was also the moment when coach Dinh The Nam's students made mistakes. While the attackers wasted a series of opportunities to increase the gap, the defense repeatedly made mistakes, allowing U19 Philippines to score two goals in the 72nd and 82nd minutes.

Just when it seemed that U16 Vietnam would suffer a shocking defeat, Quang Do suddenly shone. This player scored the equalizer 3-3 in the last minute of extra time (90+3 minute) to maintain the unbeaten streak for coach Dinh The Nam's team.

With 10 points, U16 Vietnam is firmly at the top of Group A without having to worry about the result of the final match against U16 Singapore on July 18. Coach Dinh The Nam and his team's semi-final opponents are likely to be U16 Cambodia or U16 Thailand. These two teams have six points after two matches in Group B.

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