Vietnam 2-0 Laos: Van Vi scores

In the first minutes, mistakes were made in the Vietnamese defense. Van Vi's careless pass allowed Bounphachan Bounkong to enter the penalty area. Luck was on Vietnam's side when the linesman raised his flag to signal an offside by the captain of the Lao team.

In the 7th minute, the Vietnamese team had their first chance. After a high pass from his teammate, Vo Hoang Minh Khoa broke through and fired a powerful shot that went just wide of the post. Number 9 was playing with determination in his debut match for the national team.

Vietnam's continuous pressure from both sides was rewarded with the opening goal in the 11th minute. Defender No. 22 Sonevilay's effort to intercept the ball created conditions for Ngoc Quang to comfortably finish from less than 5 meters away, putting the home team ahead.

Vietnam team entered the match confidently against Laos. Photo: Minh Chien, Anh Tien.

The early goal helped the Vietnamese team take the initiative. The midfield and defense, arranged by coach Kim Sang-sik, easily broke up the attacks of the U23 players from Laos right from the middle of the field. In the 29th minute, Tien Linh had his first shot. The ball was on target but not dangerous enough to cause trouble for goalkeeper Kop Lokphathip.

In the 33rd minute, the score almost increased to 2-0 for the Vietnamese team. After a combination with Ngoc Quang, Hai Long fired a low shot into the far corner, but goalkeeper Lokphathip continued to concentrate to save the goal for Laos. 5 minutes later, it was Tien Linh's turn to approach the goal. The owner of the 2024 Vietnam Golden Ball passed to Van Vi to finish from close range. However, the player of the player currently playing for Nam Dinh Club could not take advantage to bring home the second goal.

Tien Linh regrets when his teammate missed a good opportunity. Photo: Anh Tien.

After a series of wasted opportunities, the Vietnamese team celebrated their second goal in the 44th minute. Hai Long's powerful shot hit the crossbar and found Van Vi's position. Number 3 easily scored with a header into the empty net.

The first half ended with a big advantage for the Vietnamese team. Laos was completely outclassed and only had one shot on target, made by Kydavone Souvanny in the 41st minute.

The starting lineup against Laos had 5 changes compared to the friendly match against Cambodia, in which the midfield and two wings had the most changes. Nguyen Van Vi, Truong Tien Anh, Chau Ngoc Quang, Minh Khoa and Tien Linh were on the field from the start.

The rotation of personnel clearly shows Coach Kim's intention in assessing the overall force, while ensuring the physical strength of the pillars during the dense competition period.

Vietnam will face Malaysia, Nepal and Laos in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. Being in the top seed group and not having to face teams in the world's top 100, the "Golden Star Warriors" will avoid some strong teams. All three opponents in the group are considered to be of equal strength.

The history of confrontation is completely in favor of the Vietnamese team. Historically, the "Golden Star Warriors" have been undefeated against their neighboring opponents. The last time Laos did not lose to Vietnam was in 1996.

The appeal of the Vietnamese team increased after winning the ASEAN Cup. Photo: Tam Minh.

Speaking before the match, coach Kim Sang-sik said the priority of the Vietnamese team is victory: "The first match is very important for our goal of qualifying. Hopefully our players will score many goals in the first half."

On the other hand, coach Ha Hyeok-jun only aims to score points against Vietnam: "We want to cause many difficulties for Vietnam, because they are a strong team. The match will be very difficult but I hope my students will have a good performance."