Friendly match, Viet Nam beat Indonesia 1-0
Striker Vo Van Toan scored the only goal in the 75th minute to help Viet Nam's Olympic team take a 1-0 win over Indonesia in a friendly match at the…
A bit of a stretch: Vietnamese midfielder Vo Huy Toan (second from left) looks to catch the ball at last night’s match. He scored the game’s only goal in the 75th minute. — VNA/VNS Photo Quoc Khanh
Toan impressed the 40,000-seat stadium with his convincing goal after missing several clear chances in the second half.
It was a spectacular goal for Viet Nam after good teamwork.
In a quick attack, midfielder Do Hung Dung lobbed the ball to Nguyen Huu Dung, who had a good position near the right post and was out of range of Indonesia goalie Muhammad Natshir Fadhil. Dung sent the ball across to the goal with a header for Toan, netting the ball from close range.
It’s also the team’s second win under the reign of Japanese coach Toshiya Miura, as the players prepare for the Asia U-23 Football Championship qualifiers.
Despite the rain, the two sides had an open game. It was a crucial test before the Asia Under-23 football championship qualifiers.
Indonesia started the game with offense, launching the first long shot from the edge of the 18-yard box in the first minute.
The host replied in the 14th minute when Nguyen Van Toan fired a low ball to challenge the Indonesian keeper. Vietnamese team captain Que Ngoc Hai then took a header from a corner, but the shot was wide.
Defender Jajang Maulana faced Vietnamese goalie Pham Van Tien when he trapped a sneak from his teammate near the goal-box area. However, Maulana’s loose shot was parried by the Vietnamese keeper.
The first half ended in a goalless draw.
The Japanese coach made three changes in Viet Nam’s team line-up to strengthen the offense during the second half. The change paid off.
In a counter-attack in the 51st minute, Pham Thanh Binh dribbled through Indonesia keeper Fadhil at the far right post to lob the ball to the goalmouth, but Toan’s header was out of range, just skimming the bar and missing.
However, the 22-year-old striker, who plays for SHB Da Nang, did not miss his chance in the 75th minute to take a win for Viet Nam.
Viet Nam’s team will now fly to HCM City for another friendly match with Uzbekistan on March 14.
