Viet
Nam’s under-23s were stunned by Turkmenistan 6-2 in their second match in the
Asian Games yesterday, Nov 10.

Viet Nam’s under-23s (red) were stunned by Turkmenistan 6-2 in their second match in the Asian Games yesterday. (Photo: Getty Images)

The loss saw Viet Nam,
who beat Bahrain 3-1 on Monday, plunge to third place in Group B.

Turkmenistan, who lost
4-1 to Iran, stand second; ahead of Viet Nam with a better goal difference.

Viet Nam would have
qualified for the last 16 if they had beaten Turkmenistan in the match at
Guangdong People’s Stadium yesterday. But the Vietnamese team defence collapsed
in their worst performance in recent years, while the strikers missed a dozen
clear-cut chances to score before half time.

The central Asian team
took a first half 2-0 lead after Serda and Aleksandra waltzed through the
Vietnamese back four.

Viet Nam’s Pham Thanh
Luong, Ngoc Dieu and Anh Duc all failed to make their close-range chances count.

Turkmenistan nullified
Viet Nam’s U-23s by bypassing midfield with a judicious use of the long ball,
and stoutly defended their lead through to half time.

Five minutes into the
second half, Belyh Maksim headed home the third goal for the central Asian team
from a corner kick before Arslanmyrat broke down the left flank to net the ball
on the 60th minute mark.

Arslanmyrat and his
team-mate Aleksandr Bolyan both unmarked, scored on the 72nd and 82nd minute.

Trong Hoang pulled
back a goal for Viet Nam on the 85th minute, before Anh Duc netted the ball with
a close finish.

Duc also missed five
goal scoring chances in the second half.

Iran played Bahrain in
a late match yesterday, Nov 10.

Viet Nam must win
defeat powerhouses Iran in their last match on Saturday if they want to qualify
for the knock-out round.

Twenty-four teams are
taking part in the under-23s tournament, with the top two and four of the best
third-placed sides from the six groups advancing to the final 16.

VietNamNet/Viet
Nam News