Goalkeeper's mistake, Vietnam lost the semi-finals of the Southeast Asian futsal tournament

Vietnamese players lost 1-5 to Malaysia in the semi-final of the Southeast Asian futsal championship - HDBank Cup 2017.

Ho Chi Minh City spectators packed Phu Tho Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City on the evening of November 1st to cheer on the home team as they defeated Malaysia in the semi-final to meet Thailand in the final. However, the enthusiastic cheers from the stands did not help the Vietnamese players create the dream match of the tournament.

Malaysia had studied the technical playing style of the Vietnamese players very carefully, so they played aggressively right from the start of the match. The away players rushed forward to attack and press the Vietnamese players' half of the field. This tactic helped Malaysia limit the attacking power of the Vietnamese players. The home players even had to retreat to defend and organize many dangerous attacks. If they had been more alert, the Vietnamese players could have broken through the opponent's net.

Goalkeeper Van Huy (2) made mistakes that are hard to fix. Photo: Tuan Huu.

In the 10th minute of the match, Vietnam goalkeeper Van Huy made a serious mistake. He held the ball for more than four seconds, causing his team to concede an indirect free kick. From the free kick spot right at the six-meter line, Malaysia kicked the ball into Vietnam's net to open the score. This is not the first time such silly mistakes have been made. At the 29th SEA Games, when Vietnam and Thailand were tied 0-0, the Vietnamese goalkeeper also held the ball for more than four seconds, causing Vietnam to concede a goal and then collapse before the Thais.

Returning to the match, after conceding a goal, the Vietnamese players were eager to attack to find a goal. However, due to haste, their passes were not accurate, creating opportunities for the opponent to counterattack and score three more goals, Malaysia led 4-0 after the first half.

In the second half, Vietnam used the power-play tactic from the beginning but it was not effective. Even when playing with one more player because the opponent was red carded, the Vietnamese players were still unable to score against Malaysia. The Vietnamese players even conceded a fifth goal in the 35th minute.

In the 36th minute, Ngoc Son scored a consolation goal for the home team. The Vietnamese futsal team fell at the gates of heaven. The tournament where they were expected to overthrow Thailand's dominance.

According to VNE