Vietnam U23 crushes Macau, surpasses South Korea U23.

(Baonghean.vn) – Against a weak Macau U23 team, Vietnam U23 easily secured a resounding and convincing victory. This puts South Korea U23 behind in the 2018 AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers.

The unexpected 0-0 draw between U23 South Korea and Timor Leste presents a good opportunity for U23 Vietnam to take the lead in Group I of the U23 Asian Cup qualifiers if Coach Huu Thang's team wins against Macau, China.

Compared to their opening match against U23 Timor Leste, U23 Vietnam fielded a rather unfamiliar lineup. This included the return of Luong Xuan Truong, while only Van Khanh, Van Toan, and Cong Phuong continued to be trusted from the start.

Striker Van Toan had an extremely successful day playing against U23 Macau - Photo: Duc Dong

Immediately after the opening whistle, the Vietnam U23 team created suffocating pressure in front of Macau's goal and continuously scored goals before the spectators had even settled into their seats. Striker Van Toan was instrumental in two goals in the 3rd and 6th minutes.

In the first goal, after Van Toan's powerful shot was saved by the Macau goalkeeper, striker Thanh Binh was there to easily tap the ball in to open the scoring. Later, a one-two pass with Cong Phuong gave Van Toan a chance to shoot, and the HAGL striker immediately unleashed a half-volley shot, the ball going diagonally into the net, completely beating the U23 Macau goalkeeper.

Under pressure from Coach Huu Thang's players, U23 Macau were forced to defend desperately, and in the 10th minute, Thanh Binh earned a penalty for U23 Vietnam after a foul by the opposing team. From the penalty spot, Cong Phuong extended the lead to 3-0 for the red-shirted boys.

The U23 Vietnam forwards had little difficulty against a weak opponent's defense - Photo: Duc Dong

With the game being one-sided, the fourth goal for Vietnam U23 was inevitable. In the 20th minute, Cong Phuong initiated a quick counter-attack for his team and then assisted Thanh Binh to make it 4-0. Cong Phuong's pass bypassed most of the opposing defenders, putting his teammate in an extremely favorable position.

In the 23rd minute, it was Xuan Truong's turn to add his name to the list of goalscorers. He scored the fifth goal from the penalty spot after the Macau U23 defender handled the ball.

Up to this point, goalkeeper Phi Minh Long has yet to face any attack from U23 Macau. Meanwhile, for U23 Vietnam, a defender like Hoang Van Khanh has already scored a goal. In the 26th minute, the SLNA center-back rose high to head the ball into the net after a corner kick from Quang Hai, making the score 6-0 for U23 Vietnam.

Defender Hoang Van Khanh celebrates his goal - Photo: Duc Dong

With a bit more luck, Cong Phuong could have helped Vietnam U23 score their seventh goal with a free kick that hit the crossbar in the 34th minute. Shortly after this, he was substituted by coach Huu Thang, making way for striker Ho Tuan Tai.

In the remaining minutes of the first half, Luong Xuan Truong continued to demonstrate his creative role, constantly setting up his teammates in favorable scoring positions. However, the number of goals scored by the Vietnam U23 team only reached 6.

In the second half, shortly after coming on as a substitute for Quang Hai, Hong Duy unexpectedly broke through and chipped the ball over the Macau U23 goalkeeper, increasing the score to 7-0. With this "goal shower," Coach Huu Thang's players continued to maintain pressure, and Ho Tuan Tai had a chance to score in the 55th minute. Unfortunately, his shot from an unfavorable position was cleared off the line by an opposing defender.

The nightmare for Macau U23 continued when, in the 62nd minute, Van Toan made a clever run, receiving a pass from Xuan Truong and, after touching the ball, increased the score to 8-0.

Coach Nguyen Huu Thang can be satisfied with his players' performance - Photo: Duc Dong

It was only thanks to a mistake by the Vietnamese U23 central defenders in an aerial duel that Macau U23 managed to score a goal to reduce the deficit through Wa Keng. However, that was all their opponents could do until the final whistle. Ultimately, Vietnam U23 won the match 8-1.

With this excellent result, Vietnam U23 has a perfect 6 points after 2 matches, leading Group I, followed closely by South Korea U23 with 4 points. Timor Leste and Macau are in the remaining positions. Therefore, the match between Vietnam and South Korea in the final round will decide who will qualify directly for the 2018 AFC U23 Asian Championship.

Trung Kien