Vietnam 2-1 Cambodia: Bong Samuel scores from long range

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 dominates the game but Cambodia is defending quite solidly. Photo: Duy Hieu.

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: Duy Hieu.

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.

In the early part of the second half, the Vietnamese team proactively gave up the game to Cambodia. In the 61st minute, the away team had a great opportunity to score. After a cross from the left wing by his teammate, Andres Nieto missed the shot in front of the wide open goal.

Not long after, the host Vietnam responded with a dribble and shot by Hai Long. The ball went quite hard but goalkeeper Soksela played with concentration to help Cambodia keep the net safe.

Bong Samuel (No. 15) shortens the gap for Cambodia. Photo: Duy Hieu.

Vietnam's team suddenly slowed down and created conditions for Cambodia to comfortably finish. In the 64th minute, substitute Bong Samuel defeated Dinh Trieu with a beautiful long-range shot from outside the penalty area, narrowing the gap to 1-2.

After conceding the goal, the Vietnamese team started to accelerate. In just 2 minutes, from 72 to 73, Tien Linh and Chau Ngoc Quang tried to finish but the third goal did not come for coach Kim Sang-sik and his team.

It was not until the 84th minute that the Vietnamese team had a clear attack. From a long pass from his teammate, Van Vi broke away to face the goalkeeper and then tried to lift the ball over his head. However, goalkeeper Soksela made an accurate judgment to nullify Vi's effort.