Vietnam wins big against Laos in opening match of 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers

Looking back at the past, Laos has never been an opponent that can compete on equal footing with Vietnam.Vietnam teamEven though at times, the team from the land of a million elephants caused certain difficulties.

In the most recent match opening the 2024 Asean Cup championship campaign, Mr. Kim Sang-sik's team also defeated Laos right at the opponent's field.

Therefore, in the opening match of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers against Laos, the Vietnamese team aims not only to win all 3 points, but also to win big to compete for goal difference when needed. "The Vietnamese team is determined to score as many goals as possible in the first half," coach Kim Sang-sik said before this match.

And this was shown when Vietnam took the initiative right from the start. Many attacking options were used by coach Kim Sang-sik's players. And under the constant pressure of the home team, the Laos team finally conceded a goal in the 11th minute of the match. The opening goal of the Vietnam team came from a mistake by the Lao central defender and goalkeeper with a clumsy handling. Thanks to that, Ngoc Quang had the opportunity to finish close to the goal to score against the opponent team.

After the goal, the Vietnamese team still completely controlled the game and created a series of dangerous opportunities in front of Lokpathip's goal. Notably, in the 33rd minute, Hai Long skillfully dribbled the ball in the penalty area past 2 defenders of the Lao team before finishing with his right foot, sending the ball low into the far corner, but goalkeeper Lokpathip flew as far as he could to punch the ball away to save the away team.

After many continuous attacks, the home team finally doubled the gap in the 44th minute of the match. Starting from a corner kick, Hai Long turned the ball, eliminated an opposing player in the penalty area and then launched a powerful left-footed kick. The ball bounced strongly against the crossbar and Van Vi dived to head the ball into the net of the Laos team.

In the second half, the Vietnamese team continued to create a one-sided game against their opponents. And without having to wait long, coach Kim Sang-sik's team scored the third goal against the away team in the 50th minute. From the complicated handling of the Lao player, Chau Ngoc Quang and Nguyen Van Vi approached to steal the ball. The left-back wearing the Nam Dinh shirt handled the technique, sprinted into the penalty area, then placed his left foot into the bottom corner to complete the double.

Not stopping there, in the 63rd minute, Hai Long widened the gap to 4-0 for U22 Vietnam. Receiving the ball from Quang Hai near the 16m50 line, Hai Long handled it neatly before drawing a beautiful curve with his left foot, sending the ball flying into the net while the Lao goalkeeper was helpless.

And before the match ended, U22 Vietnam scored another goal to seal the 5-0 victory. Hoang Duc made a delicate pass into the penalty area after a one-touch exchange in the middle with Quang Hai and the number 19 midfielder of the Vietnam team broke through, volleyed with his left foot, and defeated the Lao goalkeeper.

With a big win in the opening match, U22 Vietnam will have a great advantage in the journey to conquer the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers./.