Viet Nam win at Smartdoor Cup

Viet Nam’s U-23 team won the Smartdoor Cup after beating China 3-1 in their second game at My Dinh National Stadium on Saturday.

Smart sense: Midfielder Mai Tien Thanh celebrates after scoring his first goal in the match against China’s U-23 team at Smartdoor Cup. Viet Nam’s U23 team won 3-1. —VNS Photo Quang Thang

The host, who edged Singapore 1-0 in the opener, gained six points with two wins, four points clear of Thailand’s U-23 team, who drew China 2-2 and Singapore 1-1.

Viet Nam will meet Thailand in their last game as a test before the two teams play in the Southeast Asian Games in Laos next month, while China will battleSingapore.

Viet Nam walked away with a cash-prize of $25,000.

“Viet Nam played a good game today, but we have a lot to do before the SEA Games. I think we will face more difficulties in our game against Thailand,” Viet Nam team coach Henrique Calisto said at a press conference after the match.

With crazy support from fans at the 40,000-seat My Dinh Stadium on Saturday, Viet Nam drew first blood just nine minutes into the game when midfielder Mai Tien Thanh took a close shot to the net from a rebound.

The China side regrouped and went on the offensive against Viet Nam for most of the first half, but the visitors couldn’t get through the host’s defences.

In the second half, captain Pham Thanh Luong made the score 2-0 when he tapped the ball in a rapid attack.

Then in the 70th minute, Zhang Linpeng helped the visiting team pull a goal back with a cannon freekick.

In the second injury time, rising star Trong Hoang scored his first goal at the tournament when he broke through Chinese defences to stun goalie Guchao with a powerful shot.

“I congratulate Viet Nam. I saw them playing against Singapore in the opening game, but the host played much better in the match today. We played powerful in the game; however, we lost it too early in the first half. In the second half, our players did not keep up their momentum,” said Chinese coach Li Xiaoquang.

The Smartdoor Cup is a warmup for Thailand, Singapore and Viet Nam in the SEA Games. — VNS