Vietnam beat Yemen 2-0, hopeful for berth in AFC Cup knockout stage
Vietnam defeated Yemen 2-0 in the last match of Group D in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup 2019, which was held at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in the United Arab Emirates (UEA) on January 16 (local time).
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| Nguyen Quang Hai celebrated the first goal for Vietnam (Source: AFC) |
The two goals were scored by Nguyen Quang Hai and Que Ngoc Hai. With this win, Vietnam had three points after three matches in Group D and are hoping for a berth in the knockout stage of the tournament.
Vietnam played with their familiar 3-4-3 formation and held more possession, up to 64 percent of the time in the first half.
In the 13th minute, midfielder Luong Xuan Truong took a corner but it was saved by a Yemeni defender.
Vietnamese goalkeeper Dang Van Lam could not catch the ball from a free kick in the 17th minute. It was lucky for Vietnam as there was no Yemeni player there to get a tap in.
In the 25th minute, Yemeni midfielder Emad Mansoor was injured and subbed out. Two minutes later, Yemen defender Ala Addin Mahdi received a yellow card for a foul.
Vietnam’s Phan Van Duc tried his luck with a shot from the left wing in the 31st minute but the Yemeni goalkeeper saved it.
In the 37th minute, Vietnamese striker Nguyen Cong Phuong was fouled. Yemeni midfielder Al Radaei received a yellow card and a free kick was given to Vietnam.
And midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai scored a beautiful goal for Vietnam from an over-20m free kick in the 39th minute.
The first half ended after two additional minutes with Vietnam leading 1-0.
Just five minutes from the start of the second half, Vietnamese goalkeeper Dang Van Lam once again showed off his talent when he saved a header from a corner of Yemen.
In the 53rd minute, Vietnam had their first substitution when Nguyen Tien Linh replaced Luong Xuan Truong.
In the 63rd minute, Phan Van Duc was fouled by Al Gumae in the box and Vietnam was awarded a penalty while the Yemeni defender got a yellow card.
The Vietnamese team’s captain Que Ngoc Hai calmly took the penalty and scored the second goal for Vietnam in the 65th minute.
Phan Van Duc, who brought the penalty to Vietnam, was replaced by forward Nguyen Van Toan in the 71st minute.
In the 75th minute, another Yemeni player was injured and he was subbed out.
Vietnamese striker Nguyen Cong Phuong received a yellow card for reacting with the referee in the 77th minute.
Four minutes later, Nguyen Cong Phuong was subbed out for Tran Minh Vuong. This was the last substitution for Vietnam.
In the 84th minute, Tran Minh Vuong took a free kick but the ball went straight into the hands of the Yemeni goalkeeper.
Two minute later, Yemeni forward Al Sasi took a volley inside the box but the ball was blocked by a Vietnam defender.
The game ended 2-0 for Vietnam after three additional minutes. With this win, Vietnam need to wait for the results of other groups’ matches to know if they can advance to the next round.
