Van Quyen stars to help under-23s make good LG Cup start

Striker Pham Van Quyen proved his quality, scoring twice to help the Vietnamese under-23 beat their Bulgarian under-23 opponents in their opening match of the LG Cup in Ho Chi Minh City on September 20.

With Hoang Thuong and Tai Em sidelined, coach Alfred Riedl lined up Minh Duc and Quoc Anh in starting eleven. Minh Duc replaced Hoang Thuong to partner with Bat Hieu at centreback while Quoc Anh, who had a successful season with Da Nang in 2005, played on the left.

The Bulgarian side had their good chance in the fifth minute as their striker was head-to-head with Vietnamese goalkeeper Quang Huy. However, the Vietnamese goalkeeper stopped the Bulgarian striker from opening the scoring with his left foot. From then on, Austrian coach Alfred Riedl”s men controlled the game. After Bat Hieu suffered an injury and was replaced by Quy Suu, the Vietnamese side had a change in its squad. Phuoc Vinh, who partnered Quoc Vuong in the centre of the field filled Bat Hieu”s place at the centreback while Quy Suu replaced him in the midfield.

In the 15th minute, frontman Phan Thanh Binh, headed home the opener after a cross from the left wing by Quoc Anh. Two minutes from halftime, Quoc Vuong, who was eventually voted as Man of the Match, wasted a good opportunity to extend the lead. His flash finish after Van Quyen”s through ball left the Bulgarian goalkeeper flatfooted but was centimetres wide.

After the break, Vietnamese Player of the Year in 2003 Pham Van Quyen shone with two goals. In the 49th minute, Van Quyen finished off Quoc Vuong”s freekick to make it 2-0. Three minutes later, Van Quyen entertained Vietnamese spectators in Thong Nhat stadium with his second goal. Thanh Binh found Van Quyen”s head in the penalty box with a neat cross from the right wing. However, Van Quyen”s first attempt was denied by Bulgarian goalkeeper. The deflected ball fell into the Vietnamese striker, who found the top of the net in his second attempt.

Substitute Le Cong Vinh, who replaced Thanh Binh, made it 4-0 with a close strike, finishing Quoc Anh”s pass. Cong Vinh then provided his partner, Ngoc Linh, with a neat through ball from the right edge of the box, but Ngoc Linh hit the crossbar. Before Ngoc Linh, who went in for Van Quyen, missed a good opportunity, the Bulgarian side pulled back one goal from a spot kick in the 68th minute. In the 75th minute, the Bulgarian under-23s scored one more goal.

The Vietnamese under-23 made a good start at the LG Cup before playing stronger opponents, including Syrian under-21s and the defending champions of Korean students on September 22 and September 24, respectively. In an earlier match, the Syrian under-21s beat the Korean students 3-2.

At the LG Cup, the four teams will compete on a round robin basis.

(Source: Nhan Dan)