Vietnam 2-0 Cambodia: Hai Long, Van Vi score

The Vietnamese team entered the game proactively and had their first chance in the 11th minute. After an unsafe tackle by the Cambodian goalkeeper, Van Thanh swung his leg to shoot but the ball went wide of the goal.

In the 17th minute, Hai Long received a pass from the left wing and fired a powerful shot but the ball went too far. On the sidelines, coach Kim Sang-sik also seemed surprised by his student's decision.

Vietnam is dominating the game but Cambodia is defending quite solidly. Photo: Anh Tien.

Vietnam's efforts to put pressure on the team were rewarded with the opening goal in the 26th minute. From a free kick 20 meters from the goal, Hai Long kicked the ball into the A corner, leaving goalkeeper Keo Soksela helpless.

Immediately after opening the score, Vietnam's defense suddenly lost focus and allowed Cambodia to approach Dinh Trieu's goal. After a cross from the right wing, Souhana rushed forward to finish but the ball went over the bar.

Vietnam quickly rallied and doubled the lead in less than 10 minutes. After a chaotic play, substitute Van Vi was there at the right time to unleash a powerful shot from close range, giving the away team's goalkeeper no chance to block it.

Vietnam team proved their superiority over Cambodia. Photo: Anh Tien.

In the 39th minute, the score almost increased to 3-0 for the Vietnamese team. Van Vi passed accurately for Hai Long to shoot quite dangerously from outside the penalty area, forcing Keo Soksela to struggle to dive to block.

The first half ended with a one-sided game for Vietnam. Cambodia spent most of the time defending and only had 2 shots on target but could not cause any trouble for Dinh Trieu.

The list of Vietnam's team playing against Cambodia at 7:15 p.m. on March 19 at Binh Duong Stadium includes Nguyen Dinh Trieu as goalkeeper, central defenders Do Duy Manh (captain), Nguyen Thanh Chung and Bui Tien Dung. On the two wings are Vu Van Thanh and Trieu Viet Hung. Previously, Viet Hung played for the Vietnam team at FIFA Days in 2023 under Philippe Trousier.

In midfield, Doan Ngoc Tan plays with Nguyen Hoang Duc. In the forward line, Pham Tuan Hai plays as a striker, supported by Nguyen Hai Long and Nguyen Quang Hai.

Except for Viet Hung, the 10 names on the field against Cambodia are the main frame of the Vietnamese team in the journey to win the 2024 Southeast Asian championship. Coach Kim focuses on safety when entering the game, and will likely send a group of new players onto the field in the second half for testing, if the first half results are positive.

The Cambodian team took the field with a series of foreign names such as Takaki Ose, Kan Mo, Yudai Ogawa, Nicolas (Nick) Taylor and Andres Nieto.

The appeal of the Vietnamese team has increased significantly after winning the ASEAN Cup. Photo: Anh Tien.

After many recent defeats without a goal, Cambodia is determined to make a difference against Vietnam, even though it is just a friendly, in this confrontation.

Speaking at a press conference before the match, coach Kim Sang-sik highly appreciated his opponent: "I know Cambodia has many naturalized players, including a very talented African player (Abdel Kader Coulibaly - PV), who has an impressive scoring record in the national championship. However, we have quality defenders like Duy Manh and Thanh Chung. I believe the defenders of the Vietnamese team can neutralize the opponent."