But the Vietnamese side looked exhausted as the second half drew to an end and they lost control of the match. Laos took the chance and pulled one back with a goal by Kaysone Soukhavong in the 68th minute.

Vietnam still had the upper hand until a Vietnamese defender tackled a Lao player in the penalty area and Sangvone scored the equalizer from the penalty spot seven minutes from full time.

Earlier that day, Malaysia’s U19 squad and Thai U19s had also tied at the same score.

U23 squads from Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Laos had originally signed up for the October 2-6 Pre-SEA (South East Asian) Games in Laos.

But Thailand decided to send its U19 players just a couple days before the competition started, prompting Vietnam and Malaysia to do the same.

Reported by Lan Phuong