Vietnamese Olympic football team’s impressive run to ASIAD 2018 semi-finals
VOV.VN - Vietnam will face the Republic of Korea in the semi-finals of the men’s football at the Asian Games 2018 (ASIAD) on August 29. Let’s look back at their journey to the last four.
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| Falling into Group D with Japan, Nepal and Pakistan, the Vietnamese Olympic team were expected to easily win one of the 2 places on offer in the next round. |
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| The Vietnamese Olympic team led by head coach Park Hang Seo beat Pakistan 3-0 in their opening match of Group D thanks to goals by Nguyen Quang Hai (in the 21st minute), Nguyen Van Quyet (in the 41st minute) and Nguyen Cong Phuong (in the 72nd minute). |
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| The win put Vietnam on top of Group D, above Japan on goal difference. |
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| Filled with the determination to get through to the next round, the Vietnamese players put in a great effort while facing Nepal in their second match. |
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| Nguyen Van Quyet and Phan Van Duc played well, scoring 2 goals for Vietnam to secure a 2-0 win over Nepal to win a place in the last 16 of the men’s football at ASIAD 2018. |
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| In the final match of the group stage, Vietnam met Japan. Although the Vietnamese team had already progressed from the group, they were determined to win. |
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| Quang Hai scored an early goal in the 3rd minute, capitalising on a mistake by the Japanese Olympic team. |
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| The match between Vietnam and Japan ended 1-0. |
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| The Vietnamese Olympic team topped Group D winning all three of their matches, scoring 6 goals and conceding none in the process. Vietnam’s next opponents were Bahrain in the last 16. |
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| Vietnam faced a setback in their preparations for Bahrain when central defender Dinh Trong suffered an injury. |
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| Bahrain posed a new threat to Vietnam, having done their homework on Park Hang Seo’s tactical ploys. |
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| However, Bahrain were cut down to ten men following a rash tackle by Ahmed Sanad on Van Thanh in the 42nd minute, earning him a straight red card. |
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| The Vietnamese Olympic team stepped up the speed of their attacking play in the final 20 minutes, pushing Bahrain back towards their net. |
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| Cong Phuong scored the only goal of the match in the 88th minute. Vietnam took a vital 1-0 victory over Bahrain to get to their first ever ASIAD quarter-finals. |
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| The Vietnamese team faced Syria in the quarter-finals. Head coach Park Hang Seo considers Syria as the strongest challenge for Vietnam at ASIAD so far. |
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| Syria proved tough competition for the Vietnamese Olympic team, going close to scoring a number of times. |
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| Vietnam played professionally and were the better team for much of the match, but after 90-minutes it remained scoreless. |
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| Head coach Park Hang Seo showed his tactical nous with a strategic substitution. Van Toan took to the pitch to replace Cong Phuong in the 82nd minute, scoring the only goal of the game in the 108th minute. |
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| Vietnam beat Syria 1-0 after the 120-minute match. |
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| With this historical win, the Vietnamese Olympic team led by head coach Park Hang Seo have won their first ever place in the semi-finals of the men’s football at Asian Games and are still yet to concede a goal. |
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| The semi-final match between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea is set to get underway at 4pm (Vietnam time) on August 29 in Pakansari Stadium. |
