Vietnam suffer 3-0 loss to Iraq at Doha Cup 2023
VOV.VN - The Vietnamese U23 national football team suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat at the hands of Iraq on March 23 after going down to nine men in the opening match of the ongoing Doha Cup 2023.
Vietnam initially took control of the game during the opening phase, although their strong Iraqi opponents looked strong in attack, forcing the Vietnamese team to strengthen their defence.
The game changed in the 22nd minute when Tien Long was given a red card after a foul on Iraqi player Lawend. The opponents were further encouraged after being were awarded a penalty following a foul by Duy Cuong.
Ali Basem Almosawe took the penalty and opened the scoring for Iraq in the last minutes of the first half. Down to 10 men, Vietnam conceded another two other goals in the 69th and 85th minutes.
The drama culminated in the 90th when Minh Khoa was given a second yellow card, leaving Vietnam with only nine men.
After the disappointing result in the opening match, Vietnam will now face off against a strong rival in the form of the UAE on March 26. For the Vietnamese team, the Doha Cup 2023 is a crucial warm-up ahead of the Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia in May.