Vietnam beat Malaysia 2-1 to secure third place in the international U21 tournament.

The brilliant performances of Phi Son and Tuan Tai helped Vietnam U21 defeat Malaysia U21 2-1 to secure third place in the Thanh Nien Newspaper International U21 Tournament, which took place at 3:30 PM on October 28th.

Immediately after the opening whistle, Coach Phan Cong Thin's players surged into the opponent's half. In the first minute, Quach Tan threatened the U21 Malaysia goal, but his angled shot was inaccurate. Just a few minutes later, Khac Ngoc's dangerous long-range shot went wide of the post.

It wasn't until around the middle of the first half that the Malaysian U21 team gradually regained control of the game and began launching counter-attacks, but they lacked the sharpness to threaten goalkeeper Van Cong's goal. The Vietnamese U21 team still held the initiative. In the 28th minute, Ngoc Hao unleashed a very dangerous shot, but the goal eluded Coach Phan Cong Thin's players. While the Malaysian U21 attacks weren't particularly dangerous, their tight defense and superior physical fitness made their style of play quite difficult to deal with.

Preoccupied with attacking, the Vietnam U21 team paid the price in the second minute of added time in the first half. Seivaraj's shot wasn't particularly powerful, but it was well-placed and left goalkeeper Van Cong helpless. The Vietnam U21 players performed very well in the third-place match at the international U21 tournament.

Phi Son's equalizer brought the two teams back to square one, making the score 1-1. Photo: VnExpress.net

In the 55th minute, a teammate's pass created a golden opportunity for Phi Son. Facing the goalkeeper and unmarked, Phi Son easily slotted the ball through his legs. Phi Son's equalizing goal gave the Vietnam U21 team a huge boost in morale.

In the 79th minute, Tuan Tai quickly rushed in to tap the ball into the net from close range, increasing the score to 2-1. The remaining 10 minutes of the match saw the Vietnam U21 team face immense pressure as the Malaysia U21 players launched a full-scale attack. In the 90th minute, the score was nearly leveled when the opposing team's shot hit the crossbar of goalkeeper Van Cong's goal. Vietnam U21's victory had an element of luck, but that doesn't negate the impressive and commendable performance of Coach Phan Cong Thin's team in the third-place match.

Source: Zing News; VnExpress.net