VN wallop Lebanon in Olympic qualifier

Top striker Le Cong Vinh and Huynh Phuc Hiep were the heroes of the day in front of a rabid crowd at Nam Dinh”s Thien Truong Stadium yesterday, helping Vietnam beat Lebanon 2-0 in the second round of qualifiers for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

The hosts gained a full three points from the win before continuing second round qualification play against Indonesia and Oman.

Vinh scored the first goal in the qualifier during the 33rd minute of the first half, and was also instrumental in teammate Hiep”s goal in 89th minute in the second half.

Although Lebanon played their all and created some chances in the last minutes of the match, they failed to net the ball.

Starting slowly, Vietnam gradually dominated Lebanon with some fancy footwork and speedy runs.

Lebanon”s Salameh missed two clear opportunities 26 minutes into the game when he fired a 30m cannon that was saved by Vietnamese goalie Tran Duc Cuong.

In a rapid attack following the long-range strike, Salameh manoeuvred into the right place in the penalty area to convert a right cross from his teammate, but was wide off the bar.

Vietnam launched several counterattacks in the first half time.

A quick attack during the 32nd minute saw Le Cong Vinh send a lob to the penalty area where a handball by Lebanon”s Al Haf gave Vietnam a crucial penalty kick.

The 22-year-old V-League Song Lam Nghe An striker made no mistake in the spot kick to stun goalie H. Moughnieh and take Vietnam to a 1-0 lead.

After the break, Vietnam took full control of the match with effective teamwork, short quick passes and solid defence, which left few chances for the Middle East team.

The visitors had their first real chance when Mohamad took a shot during the first minute of the second half, but his strike was high over the bar.

In the 65th minute, left wing back Nguyen Van Bien would have found the net after a one-two pass with Mai Tien Thanh, but the shot just skimmed the post, missing the net.

Seven minutes before the final whistle, keeper Tran Duc Cuong made a good save to keep his net empty after Lebanese strikers threatened with two close range shots.

While Lebanon played nervously, Vietnamese players penetrated the visitor”s defence.

Substitute Huynh Phuc Hiep trailed a long pass from Le Cong Vinh in the centre in 89th minute to beat goalkeeper Moughnieh with a low shot to the far corner, completing a convincing win for Vietnam.

The win made up for Vietnam”s 2-0 loss to Lebanon here during the Germany World Cup qualifying round three years ago.

VNS