U19 Vietnam holds China to draw at AFC Champ

Midfielder Hoang Thanh Tung (left) in action against China in an AFC U19 Championship match yesterday. Tung scored the opener in the 1-1 draw.

Midfielder Hoang Thanh Tung opened the scoring in the 20th minutes with an angled shot from inside the six-yard box and midfielder Tang Shi restored parity just three minutes from normal time.

Viet Nam leave the tournament with only point after three matches while China advance to the next round with five points.

In another match, Japan beat South Korea 2-1 to go through to the next round as group winners with six points.

Viet Nam, who entered the match on the back of two defeats, displayed a different face against the team that had beaten Japan and drawn with South Korea. Just five minutes into the match, a good run from captain Nguyen Cong Phuong created a goal-scoring chance, but the ball was cleared by Gao Zhunyi.

China’s performance was lackluster and disjointed, but they had their first shot at the goal after 17 minutes when Gui Hong’s powerful shot was parried by Vietnamese goalkeeper Phi Minh Long.

The Vietnamese side got the lead they deserved in the 20th minute following good teamwork between three players in China’s half. Long passed the ball to Toan who sent it into the path of a running Tung, who powered his run to reach the ball first and poke it past keeper Zhou Yuchen.

A passing game and smart runs by players up front gave Viet Nam several good chances, but they missed all of them, either finding the post or failing to make final contact.

China almost levelled the match in the last minute of the first half when a good combination allowed an unmarked Cheng Jin to target the goal, but his shot hit the the outside of the post.

China upped their game in the second half but a combination of their lack of creativity and a concentrated effort by the Vietnamese defenders kept them at bay.

With Japan leading South Korea 2-1 in the other match, the Chinese players began showing their frustration as they struggled to find the equaliser they needed to qualify for the quarter-finals.

China made three substitutions but this made little difference on the pitch as coach Zheng Xiong sat motionless in desperation on the bench.

In the frantic last 10 minutes, both teams had chances to seal the match but it was China who succeeded.

Wei crossed for Lyu to pass the ball to Tang, and he side-footed a curled ball to the far corner of the Vietnamese goal.