The victory of Vietnam Futsal Team impresses international media

AFC wrote that: “The win gives Vietnam renewed hope of advancing to the Round of 16 with the Southeast Asian side to play Czech Republic in their final group match on Sunday.

Despite their opening day 9-1 defeat to five-time champions Brazil, Vietnam came into the tie with enthusiasm and got off to a fine start with Nguyen Minh Tri (pictured below) opening the scoring in the second minute, with Chau Doan Phat finding the back of the net six minutes later to double their lead.

…Panama held the upper hand when the match resumed, forcing Vietnam to defend but as the clock ticked away, the Southeast Asian side adopted a more aggressive approach and it paid dividends as Nguyen Van Hieu beat ‘keeper Jorge Hernandez in the 27th minute”.

Meanwhile, FIFA appreciated the defense of Vietnam team: “Goalkeepers rarely get to feel the excitement and elation involved in scoring a goal, but there is nothing in the rules that prevents them from trying their luck. On Thursday, Van Y Ho and Guitta, the respective last lines of defence for Vietnam and Brazil, came within a centimetre or two of experiencing those emotions. The Asian custodian struck the post with a robust clearance, before hitting the bar and then the post again – with the same shot – a few minutes later. The Brazilian number one, meanwhile, attempted a powerful effort from the halfway line that rebounded off the angle of bar and post. But despite showcasing their attacking prowess, the two keepers did not neglect their principal duty of saving their opponents’ shots. Indeed, both put in excellent performances between the sticks to help their teams to victories over Panama and Czech Republic”.

In the fanpage of the tournament, FIFA also uploaded the video which focused on the goal of Nguyen Van Hieu to bring the victory 3-2 to Vietnam team with the caption: “A goal to send Vietnam fans wild!”

Vietnam futsal team will have the third match with Czech Republic on Sep 19 at Žalgiris Arena, Kaunas.