Vietnam U23’s historic journey to AFC semi-finals
VOV.VN - The Vietnam U23 squad marked a historic milestone when they reached the semi-finals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U23 Championship 2018 for the first time.
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| In the qualifying round of the AFC U23 Championship 2018, the Vietnam U23 squad are put in a group with strong rivals such as the Republic of Korea (RoK), Australia, and Syria. |
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| In their first match of the finals, Vietnam’s U23s faced a very strong rival RoK U23s. |
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| In the 17th minute, after receiving a pass from striker Phuong, midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai opened the score for Vietnam. |
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| Midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai |
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| However, RoK U23s managed to score twice and won the game. The match ended 2-1 in favour of RoK U23s. |
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| After a loss in their first match, Vietnam’s U23s then faced Australia U23s in their second match. |
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| The game’s only goal came from Vietnamese midfielder Quang Hai bringing a miracle result for the Vietnam U23 squad. They defeated Australia U23s 1-0. |
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| The Vietnam U23 squad faced Syria U23s in the final match of the qualifying round. |
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| The Vietnam U23 squad tied goalless with Syria U23s, wining a ticket to the quarter-finals for the first time. |
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| In the quarter-finals, Vietnam U23s played against their very strong rival Iraq. |
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| In the official 90 minutes and nervous extra time, Vietnam drew 3-3 with the Asian powerhouse. |
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| Vietnam continued their dream journey at the AFC U23 Championship after beating Iraq 5-3 in the penalty shootout on January 20 night in Changsu, China. |
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| In the semi-final round, Vietnam will next play Qatar on January 23. |
