RUSSIA 2018/UAE 2019 QUALIFIERS: VIETNAM 2-1 CHINESE TAIPEI
Vietnam clinched their first win in the second round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup and 2019 AFC Asian Cup joint-qualifiers after beating Chinese Taipei 2-1…
The game at the Taipei City Municipal Stadium looked destined for a 1-1 draw until Tran Phi Son gave Vietnam a last-minute victory in second-half stoppage time to help the Vietnamese clinch their first three points of the campaign.
After a goalless first half, Vietnam drew first blood on 53 minutes thanks to Dinh Tien Thanh.
However, Chinese Taipei levelled the tie when substitute Wu Chun Ching found the equaliser on 84 minutes, before Tran regained the lead for Vietnam two minutes into additional time at the end of the second half.
Vietnam, who lost 1-0 to Thailand in their opening match back in May, are now third in the standings behind Iraq and leaders Thailand – who played out a 2-2 draw in Tuesday’s other Group F fixture – while Chinese Taipei are languishing at the bottom having yet to pick up a point from their three matches.
The group winners and four best runners-up (total 12 teams) will advance to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup finals and the final round of qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The next best 24 teams from the preliminary stage of the joint qualifiers will compete in a separate competition for the remaining slots (12 slots or 11 slots + 1 slot for the host) in the 24-team 2019 Asian Cup.
