Vietnam edge past the Philippines in AFF Cup semifinal first leg
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Vietnam had the better of the match in the opening minutes and rapidly turned their possession into an opener after 11 minutes, with Van Hau setting up Anh Duc to curl a cunning header over the head of goalkeeper Falkesgaard to find the back of the net.
Anh Duc (right) celebrates scoring the opener for Vietnam against the Philippines. |
Inspired by the early goal, Park Hang-
In the latter part of the first half, the Philippines reclaimed ball possession and put up mounting pressure on the Vietnamese field, with
The host team’s efforts finally paid off with a precious equalizer just seconds before the break. Vietnamese defenders lost concentration as they did not closely block Reichelt, who moved smartly and slotted in a favorable left-wing cross from Phil Younghusband to relieve psychological pressure burdening coach Sven
Van Duc and Anh Duc, the two heroes of Park Hang- |
However, joy was short-lived for the Philippines as just three minutes after the interval, Van Duc brilliantly broke offside trap to take a delightful through ball from teammate Trong Hoang before producing a subtle finish through goalkeeper Falkesgaard’s legs to restore Vietnam’s advantage.
The Philippines looked to have conceded the third goal in the 53rd minute as Falkesgaard was forced to save a close-range touch by a Philippine defender who unexpectedly drove the ball home while attempting to block a right-wing cross from Vietnam’s Hung Dung.
Five minutes after the hour mark, Park Hang-
This substitution proved effective as the 21-year-old forward played actively and came close to scoring for the away side one minute before stoppage time as his attempt was stopped by the Philippine goalie in a faceoff.
Van Duc celebrates scoring Vietnam's second goal during the match. |
Despite failing to score additional goals, the 2-1 victory was enough to gift Park Hang-
Source: NDO
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