In a dramatic comeback victory over Australia, the Vietnam national futsal team has reached the final of the 2024 ASEAN Futsal Championship
With determination and resilience, the Vietnam national futsal team made a remarkable comeback to secure a dramatic 5-4 victory over Australia in the semifinals on the afternoon of November 8. As a result, they have earned a spot in the final of the 2024 ASEAN Futsal Championship.
11/11/2024 10:47:08
Taking advantage of their physical strength and powerful acceleration, the Australian team created a solid game plan against Coach Diego Giustozzi’s side. Early chances from Gionenali in the opening minutes signaled a looming threat to goalkeeper Văn Tú’s goal. Eventually, the inevitable happened in the 7th minute when Australia took the lead with a close-range finish by Sewell, following a counterattack down the right wing.
After conceding the goal, Coach Diego Giustozzi was forced to call a one-minute timeout to lift the team’s spirits and come up with a strategy to improve their performance. In the 11th minute, Đoàn Phát fired a powerful long-range shot following a free-kick combination with a teammate, but goalkeeper Badolato made a stunning save, diving to deflect the ball off the post. Just a few seconds later, Gia Hưng unleashed a powerful strike, but Badolato was again quick to react, successfully denying the shot.
Although Australia chose to play a slower pace and allowed Vietnam to dominate possession, they consistently posed a dangerous threat, giving Vietnamese fans several tense moments whenever they had a chance. In the final minute of the first half, from a teammate’s free-kick, Guerreiro delivered a volley that set up Rogan to tap in and extend Australia’s lead to 2-0.
In the early minutes of the second half, the Vietnam national team intensified their attack, but their efforts on goal failed to trouble goalkeeper Badolato. Meanwhile, after being under pressure, Australia reorganized their formation to increase their offensive strength and relieve pressure on their goal. This strategy allowed the Australian team to create some very dangerous chances. Fortunately for Vietnam, their shots were either off target or goalkeeper Văn Tú made well-timed interventions, successfully blocking the attempts.
Trailing by two goals, Coach Diego Giustozzi implemented a power-play strategy starting in the 29th minute to ramp up the pressure. Just one minute later, after constantly pressuring the Australian goal, Đa Hải made a brilliant run into the box, forcing Gionenali to foul him, resulting in a penalty kick. Minh Quang stepped up to convert the 6-meter penalty, pulling Vietnam back into the game and reigniting hope.
In the 36th minute, Đa Hải made his mark again, scoring a tap-in to equalize at 2-2 for Vietnam. But immediately after the restart, Guerreiro took a shot that deflected off Nhật Trung’s leg and changed direction, sending the ball into the net to give Australia a 3-2 lead.
The match grew even more intense when, just moments later, Đa Hải struck again, this time finishing off a cross from Minh Quang to make it 3-3 for Vietnam.
After two main halves ended in a 3-3 draw, both teams were forced into extra time, with the accumulated foul count still tied at 5-5. In the 44th minute, Vietnam was given a chance with a 10-meter penalty following a foul by Lynch, which resulted in Australia’s sixth accumulated foul. Unfortunately, Gia Hưng’s shot was saved by the Australian goalkeeper.
However, in the very first minute of the second extra period, Công Viên sent a long ball forward, Thịnh Phát made a backward header, and scored to give Vietnam a 4-3 lead. Then, in the 48th minute, Grant Lynch converted a power-play strategy into a goal, equalizing at 4-4 for Australia. Just moments later, Đoàn Phát committed a foul, resulting in Australia’s seventh accumulated foul. Fortunately for Vietnam, Rogan missed the ensuing 10-meter penalty.
The drama reached its peak when Vietnam was awarded a 10-meter penalty due to Australia’s seventh accumulated foul. Thịnh Phát stepped up and calmly converted, securing a thrilling 5-4 victory and sending Vietnam through to the final of the 2024 ASEAN Futsal Championship.
Immediately after the match, the Vietnam Football Federation’s (VFF) Executive Committee congratulated the Vietnam national futsal team and praised the entire team for their hard work and excellent performance in defeating Australia, securing a spot in the final. The VFF Executive Committee expressed their best wishes for the team to continue performing well in the decisive match for the championship title at the regional futsal tournament.
* In the second semifinal, host country Thailand lost 1-5 to Indonesia. As a result, Vietnam will face Indonesia in the final, which will take place at 18:00 on November 10, 2024.
