Vietnam wins all matches in group stage of Southeast Asian futsal tournament

Defeating Myanmar 3-0 in the final round on the evening of October 30, the Vietnamese team won first place in Group A of the Southeast Asian futsal tournament - HDBank Cup 2017.

Before the final round of the group stage, Vietnam and Myanmar both had tickets to the semi-finals, as well as tickets to the 2018 AFC Futsal Championship. But both teams had to fight to avoid Thailand in the semi-finals. Due to the superior goal difference, the home team only needed a draw, while the away team had to win to win the group.

Players from both teams played tight and focused on defense after the opening whistle, so there was a lack of exciting plays. It was not until the 17th minute that Phung Trong Luan made the Phu Tho stadium explode with a lightning-fast kick that broke the Myanmar net after a corner kick from his teammate.

Vietnamese players showed impressive performance after the group stage. Photo: Bach Duong

In the second half, the match became more exciting as players from both teams surrounded each other's goal with many dangerous moves. Myanmar was eager to find an equalizer, so they often shot from long range, but could not beat goalkeeper Van Huy. The home team defended proactively, slowly launching attacks, but still could not score more goals.

In the last five minutes, Myanmar gambled on the power-play. But they paid the price when they not only failed to find an equalizer, but also conceded two more goals in the final seconds when Ngoc Son and goalkeeper Van Huy finished from a distance, accurately into an empty net, sealing a 3-0 victory for Vietnam.

"I don't think we had a good match today. The players seemed exhausted and tired. Myanmar played well, showing that they deserved to be in the semi-finals and qualify for the Asian Cup," Vietnam coach Miguel Rodrigo said after the match. "Vietnam's defense was not good in this match. Besides, after scoring, we slowed down the pace to control the game. This made the match lose a lot of appeal from the audience's perspective, except for the final minutes."

Myanmar coach Htay Myint said: "Before the match, we set the goal of winning to avoid meeting Thailand in the semi-finals. Because no matter what, Thailand is still the strongest team in the region. The team tried very hard, but today, Vietnam played well, and Myanmar was also unlucky in some situations, so we could not change the situation."

After four matches of Group A, Vietnam won all four, scored 49 goals, and conceded three. Coach Miguel Rodrigo and his team will meet Malaysia in the semi-finals of the Southeast Asian futsal tournament - HDBank Cup 2017..

Semi-final match schedule (November 1)

16:00: Thailand - Myanmar

19:00: Vietnam - Malaysia

According to VNE