Vietnam’s U21 squad suffered a 2-3 defeat to Singapore while China beat Malaysia 3-1 in the opener of the International U21 Football Tournament in Binh Duong on Friday.

The Singaporean U21s started faster and took the lead in only two minutes after striker Bin Ghani fired in from close range taking advantage of the slow reaction by Vietnamese defenders in the penalty area.

After the goal, Vietnam improved its defense and began to create their own chances. Ten minutes later, they found the equalizer after Ngoc Thong looped the ball over the Singaporean goalkeeper.

The home team continued attacking but it was Singapore that took the lead again after forward Abu Sujah scored in a counterattack one minute before the interval.

Vietnam maintained better possession of the ball in the second half, but its attackers were unable to score off clear chances. Striker Phuc Hiep was unlucky, striking the Singaporean post twice.

Vietnam coach Tran Tan Thong became impatient and replaced Hiep with Cong Thao halfway through the second half. Soon after, Vietnam equalized the score again with a penalty kick by Van Hieu after Bin Ghani tackled Van Meo in the penalty area.

The home fans expected the hosts to play better but the players upfront continued squandering chances while the defenders were clumsy, making it possible for Adu Sujah to find the net again about 15 minutes from full time.

After the match, coach Thong said, “It was a pity that my players wasted a lot of chances. We need a win against Thailand in the next match to advance.”

Sundram Moorthy, Singapore’s U21 coach, said, “The Vietnamese players made a good impression. It was a pity they wasted most of their chances. We had fewer chances but my players could convert them.”

In other action, China played at a higher level and scored an easy win over Malaysia with a brace by midfielder Zhang Xizhe.

Malaysia’s U21 coach Ong Kim Swee said he was not very disappointed by the result because his players did their best and China was too strong and would probably go on to win the third Thanh Nien-sponsored football event.

Meanwhile, China’s U21 team coach Su Maozhen said, “I am just pleased with the result. My players didn’t play well today. We will make some changes to play better in the next match.”

Source: Thanh Nien