Vietnam beat Laos in the opening match of the AFF Cup
There were no surprises as coach Park Hang-seo feared before the match. The large gap in qualifications between Vietnam and Laos is concretized by the superiority of the away team. Vietnam held the ball 70%, finished 27 times and scored six goals to lead Group B after the first match.
Contrary to the pre-match statement of coach Michael Weiss, Laos did not play tit-for-tat with Vietnam. The host chose to play to death, when the entire squad retreated to defend from the beginning of the game. Hope on attack Billy Ketkeophomphone is also ready to kick and soon receive a yellow card. The active defensive game was only maintained by Weiss's teachers and students until the 15th minute, when the striker Nguyen Tien Linh jumped to hit the ground to open the score in the 16th minute.
Difficulties also came to Vietnam, when star Nguyen Quang Hai was injured and had to leave the field in the 34th minute. Quang Hai had to apply ice in his left thigh, after making room for Van Quyet. It was Van Quyet who contributed to the goal to double the difference in the 43rd minute, when he came down to put pressure on the Lao defender to break the ball. The ball reached Hung Dung's feet, and Vietnam took a 2-0 lead thanks to the captain's bold shot - who scored for the first time in a national team shirt.
The 2-0 advantage made it easier for Vietnam to return to the field after a 15-minute break, and then scored two goals in two minutes from 56 to 58, with goals from Ho Tan Tai and Doan Van Hau. Tan Tai's goal to make it 3-0 was marked by the defenders, when the header to assist was Thanh Chung. On the fourth table, Van Hau controlled a good touch, before flicking his cheek outside his forte to put the ball into the far corner.
Three HAGL players, Nguyen Tuan Anh, Nguyen Van Toan and Vu Van Thanh were then substituted on the field. Two of them scored, though they also missed many chances. Van Toan raised the score to 5-0 with a shot in an empty position in the 82nd minute - the time when the Laos defense was exhausted. In the first minute of compensation, Van Thanh set a 6-0 victory after facing the host goalkeeper.
The big victory helped Vietnam to take the lead in Group B in the first match. Malaysia is second, with the same three points, but the goal difference is only +1. Vietnam has a break in the second match. Park Hang-seo's teachers and students will meet Malaysia in the third match, taking place on December 27.
