SEA Games 31: U23 Vietnam beat U23 Timor Leste, cruise to semifinals
VOV.VN - U23 Vietnam easily defeated U23 Timor Leste 2-0 at Viet Tri Stadium on May 15 evening, securing top spot in Group A and progressing to the semi-finals of the ongoing 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31).
U23 Timor Leste played defensively, repelling hosts Vietnam’s attacks in the first half. Coach Park Hang-seo’s students also created a few scoring chances, but all ended up unsuccessfully.
Vietnamese players performed better in the second half and got two goals. Nguyen Van Tung headed in a goal in the 52nd minute before Ho Thanh Minh extended Vietnam’s lead by another header.
The 2-0 win helps Vietnam retain Group A lead with 10 points, one point more than Indonesia that stunned Myanmar 3-1 in another group A match on the same day.
Both Vietnam and Indonesia cruised to the semi-finals, and are now awaiting the results of last Group B matches. Vietnam are likely to take on Thailand, and the match would be worth watching as they are each other’s archrivals.
Park admitted after the match against Timor Leste that Thai players have good skills, but he was optimistic that Vietnam would stay ready for the match if their coming opponents are Thailand.