U19 Vietnam regretfully draws with Myanmar in opening match of U19 Southeast Asian tournament

On the evening of July 18, the Vietnam U19 team had its opening match against Myanmar U19 in the final round of the 2024 Southeast Asian U19 Championship.

In this first round, victory is almost a must for the U19 Vietnam team. According to the tournament rules, only the first-placed team in each group and the second-placed team with the best record will be selected. In the U19 Vietnam group, U19 Australia is considered very strong, so coach Hua Hien Vinh and his team need to accumulate the maximum number of points, especially against tough opponents like U19 Myanmar.

Entering the match, both teams entered the match with high determination. However, the U19 Vietnam team took the initiative to control the ball early and tried to attack but could not create any clear opportunities. The attacking situations of U19 Vietnam also did not create a difference.

In the following minutes, U19 Myanmar was the team that created more opportunities. From a free kick, the ball was sent into the U19 Myanmar penalty area, the U19 Vietnam players tried to get the ball to shoot but failed.

Not stopping there, in a surprise counter-attack, U19 Myanmar almost opened the score. Player Win Pyae Muang received a pass from his teammate, turned narrowly on the right wing and kicked the ball into the near corner, the ball hit the post of goalkeeper Dinh Hai. The first half ended with a score of 0-0.

In the second half, both teams played tit for tat, however, U19 Myanmar was the team that created more opportunities. In a counter-attack situation, seeing goalkeeper Dinh Hai up high, player Zaw Myo Tun made a dangerous half-cross, half-shot from the right wing, the ball hit the post.

In the following minutes, U19 Myanmar continued to attack. Swan Htet handled the situation quickly on the left wing and then shot into the near corner, but goalkeeper Dinh Hai was alert and reacted. After a series of attacks, U19 Myanmar unexpectedly opened the score. From a corner kick on the left wing, the ball was jumbled in front of the goal and Pyae Sone shot diagonally into an empty goal, helping U19 Myanmar take the lead.

After conceding a goal, U19 Vietnam rose up to find an equalizer. In the 69th minute, Hoang Quang Dung had a beautiful long-range shot from outside the penalty area, equalizing for U19 Vietnam.

In the following minutes, U19 Vietnam pressed Myanmar to find more goals. However, the U19 Myanmar players played a very resilient defense to preserve the result. In the final minutes of the match, Coach Hua Hien Vinh's students tried to attack. In a chaotic situation in front of the goal, the ball bounced off Nguyen Quang Vinh and he took a shot, the ball went into the U19 Myanmar net, but the referee raised the flag for offside.

In the end, U19 Vietnam regrettably tied U19 Myanmar with a score of 1-1. In the next match, coach Hua Hien Vinh and his team will meet U19 Australia on July 21./.