Argentina batter U22 Vietnam in Hanoi

At the match (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – U20 Argentina crushed U22 Vietnam 5-0 in a friendly match at the My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi on May 14.

The visitors quickly scored the opening goal in the 15th minute after a spectacular kick by Colombatto Santiago. Goalkeeper Phi Minh Long could not save the goal although he threw his body at the ball at top speed.

Before the first half closed, Palacios Exequiel Alejandro scored two goals to help Argentina take a 3-0 lead.

Vietnam’s loss showed that the defence line did not play effectively, allowing their rivals to easily score goals.

Coach Nguyen Huu Thang made five adjustments in the second half of the match, but his players could not reduce Argentina’s attacks. However, Vietnamese strikers and midfielders created several chances in front of Argentina’s goal.

Javier Martinez met injury after clashing with goalie Long in the 60th minute. He could not continue to play and was immediately admitted to hospital.

In the 64th minute, Senesi Baron Marcos Nicolas raised the score to 4-0 for his team.

Just 18 minutes later, Ponce Ezequiel put his header past goalkeeper Long to fix the 5-0 score for Argentina.

This friendly match was a warm-up for Vietnam ahead of the U23 Asia qualifying round and Southeast Asia (SEA) Games 29.

Despite losing to Argentina, coach Thang is not sad about the result.

“Argentina are a world-class football team. They are in good form for the U20 World Cup”, said Thang.

He said Vietnam will play better if they have midfielder Luong Xuan Truong who is playing for Gangwon FC, and Nguyen Van Toan who is injured.

“We still have time before the Sea Games. I still have key players, Truong and Toan, so I will have many changes ahead of the Games”, said Thang.

Meanwhile, coach Claudio Fernando Ubeda of Argentina said Vietnam played very well, creating pressure on his players.

Argentina also defeated U20 Vietnam 1-4 on May 10 at the Thong Nhat Stadium in HCM City.

It was the final preparation for both teams ahead of the FIFA U20 World Cup in the RoK.-VNA