Vietnam whip Cambodia 4-1 for 2nd consecutive win

SHAH ALAM: Vietnam whipped Cambodia 4-1 to register their second straight victory in Group of the 2017 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games, drawing praise from head coach Nguyen Huu Thang for a splendid second half performance at the Shah Alam Stadium here yesterday.

“I’m truly satisfied with their performance as they finally managed to get the rhythm of the match in the second half. I hope they can carry on the winning momentum against the Philippines at the same venue on Sunday,” he told reporters after the match.

Nguyen, however, conceded that his charges should sharpen their finishing if they aimed to go further in the competition.

Meanwhile, Cambodia head coach Vasconcellos Andrade Vitorino acknowledged that more work need to be done before facing a daunting task against defending champion Thailand in their third match at the Selayang Stadium on Sunday.

“It is very difficult playing against a Vietnamese side who fielded five players who had played at the 2017 FIFA U20 World Cup compared with my players who have not even played in the main league in Cambodia. We played well in the first half especially the first 15 minutes but my players made mistakes because they are still young and have less experience at international competitions,” the Brazilian added.

In yesterday’s match, Vietnam who thrashed Timor Leste 4-0 in their opening Group B match on Tuesday, took the lead through Nguyen Cong Phuong’s strike in the 45th minute before Nguyen Quang Hai doubled the lead in the 70th minute before Cong Phuong added another with a spectacular free kick from outside the penalty box in the 74th minute while substitute Ho Tuan Tai added the fourth two minutes later.

Cambodia scored a consolation goal from the penalty spot in the 83rd minute. – Bernama