Vietnam wins big in opening match of U23 Asia

QATAR- Striker Bui Vi Hao scored a double to help Vietnam beat Kuwait 3-1, in the opening match with two red cards in Group D of the 2024 AFC U23 Championship.

Bui Vi Hao celebrates scoring against Kuwait, in Vietnam's opening match in Group D of the U23 Asia Championship at Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah City, Qatar, on the evening of April 17, 2024. Photo: Doan Huynh

The opening day of Hoang Anh Tuan and his team did not go smoothly from the start, when striker Nguyen Dinh Bac injured his ankle in the 6th minute, after a legal tackle from the opponent. Bac tried to continue playing but could not contain the pain, punching the field hard in anger when he had to leave the field in the 12th minute. Midfielder Nguyen Van Truong came in as a substitute, playing in the attacking midfielder position, behind two strikers who were also over 1.8 m tall, Vo Nguyen Hoang and Nguyen Van Tung.

The first good chance came for Vietnam in the 15th minute, when striker Nguyen Hoang dribbled and passed to the left side of the penalty area. Van Tung and Van Khang rushed in, but the fight for the shot resulted in stepping on each other's feet, leaving both injured on the ground, and the ball continued to drift out of bounds.

Van Khang also participated in a hot spot in the 29th minute. After stealing the ball from Ebrahim Marzouq, he was pushed down and stepped on by the number 7 striker. Qatari referee Abdulla Al-Marri did not see it. But VAR intervened. After reviewing the situation, the main referee showed a direct red card and sent Ebrahim off the field.

The referee showed a direct red card, disqualifying Ebrahim Marzouq. Photo: Doan Huynh

Playing with one more player, Vietnam controlled the game and also converted the advantage into an opening goal in the second minute of extra time. Van Truong passed the ball to Van Tung, who broke the offside trap and rushed down, toeing the goalkeeper into the far corner. The goal had the footprints of two players who had grown up in the Hanoi FC academy. About a dozen Vietnamese spectators on the World Cup-class field cheered. But the joy did not last long.

Just one minute later, Kuwait passed a long pass down the right flank, allowing Abdul Karam to rush into the penalty area, one step faster than Ngoc Thang. The Vietnamese midfielder knew he couldn't keep up with the ball, turned to look, then wrapped his arms around his opponent, causing him to fall down in the penalty area. The referee immediately awarded a penalty to Kuwait and showed a yellow card to the 22-year-old midfielder. However, VAR intervened, causing Mr. Al Marri to change his decision, giving Ngoc Thang a direct red card instead of a yellow card, because he thought he had blocked Kuwait's clear scoring opportunity without intending to play the ball legally.

Ngoc Thang is 22 years old, 1.75 m tall, and has 24 V-League matches with Ha Tinh. This is the first time he has played in a continental tournament with the Vietnamese youth team. The central defender bowed his head when he had to leave the field, and was encouraged by the coaching staff. From the advantage of having one more player and leading by one goal, the team was tied in both score and player numbers, after Al Wadhi's low penalty kick to the right side distracted Quan Van Chuan.

The Vietnamese players "shot themselves in the foot", but Kuwait also made many mistakes in defense, especially the goalkeeper. In the 48th minute, goalkeeper Ali Marzouq got the ball when Vi Hao rushed in from the left. Instead of passing it up, the Kuwaiti captain tried to dribble the ball back with the sole of his shoe, but missed, Vi Hao stole it and easily kicked it into the empty net, raising the score to 2-1 for Vietnam.

Kuwait qualified for the 1982 World Cup in Spain, but were eliminated in the group stage. They also won the 1980 Asian Cup, and reached the quarter-finals of the Olympics that same year, when the Games did not have an age limit for men's football. But they are currently ranked 139th in the FIFA rankings, right behind Malaysia, and have never advanced past the group stage of the AFC U-23 Championship.

Vietnam is currently ranked 115th in FIFA, having reached the final of the 2018 AFC U23 Championship under Park Hang-seo. However, the current U23 generation has left many fans worried about the final handling. In the 55th minute, striker Nguyen Minh Quang had the ball in front of a completely empty goal, but he controlled it for a moment, turned the ball around, and then shot it into the foot of a Kuwaiti defender who had just managed to pull it back. However, if the ball had gone into the net, the goal would not have been recognized because Nguyen Thai Son had been offside before.

Nguyen Van Truong played aggressively after entering the field. Photo: Doan Huynh

However, Vietnam played better in the second half, when Kuwait was clearly exhausted. In the 76th minute, Nguyen Thai Son passed the ball to Vi Hao who rushed down the left side of the penalty area, allowing the Binh Duong striker to shoot low with his weaker left foot, diagonally. The ball did not go too hard and the Kuwaiti goalkeeper also got a hand to it, but still could not save the goal.

Vi Hao, 21 years old, 1.75 m tall, has played 52 V-League matches for Binh Duong, scoring four goals. In this match, he only came on to replace Vo Nguyen Hoang in the second half, but his aggressive play helped him score a double to help the team top Group D after the first round. Coach Hoang Anh Tuan and his team will meet Malaysia in the second round at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 20. If they win, they will almost certainly advance to the quarterfinals.