VN crash out of Asian Cup contention
The Asian Cup dream was shattered following a
disappointing loss, which began with a blunder from goalkeeper Bui Tan
Truong, who inexplicably dropped a simple ball, allowing Sodiev to lash
into an empty net to put the Uzbeks ahead.
Vietnam's fate was
sealed just one minute into the second half when Sergeev Igor headed
home to double the score, while substitute Rashidov Sardor put the gloss
on a fine performance from the visiting team with a third goal in the
89th minute.
With four losses from four games, Vietnam are rooted
to the bottom of Group E without a single point and are unable to
qualify even if they win all their remaining matches.
The match started rather openly with both teams showing attacking intent.
Just two minutes in, the Uzbeks had a chance to take an early lead
when Igor faced goalkeeper Bui Tan Truong from a very close distance,
but his shot was blocked by Truong's legs.
Vietnam also
threatened Uzbekistan 's goal on some occasions, but never came close
to scoring, partly due to the Uzbeks'deep concentration and
miscommunication between Vietnamese players.
The hundred Uzbek
fans in the My Dinh National Stadium were given a scare on the stroke of
the hour as midfielder Nguyen Trong Hoang broke through the Uzbek
defence to race towards Eldorbek
Suyunov's goal, but the Vietnamese
talisman pushed the ball slightly too far ahead, allowing an Uzbek
defender to pressure Hoang into fluffing his chance.
Vietnamese
hearts sunk in the 40th minute when Truong's mistake handed Sodiev the
easiest goal of his life to break the deadlock.
That silly goal
really dealt a blow to Vietnamese players' confidence. Some players
doubled over in disappointment, while a silence spread throughout the
stadium's 5,000 supporters.
Any hopes of a comeback were dashed
early in the second half, when Igor rose above Vietnamese defenders to
meet Vitaliy Denisov's pass on the left wing and head past Truong into
the far corner of the net.
Coach Nguyen made two substitutions,
strengthening the attacking line with the introduction of striker Nguyen
Anh Duc. Defender Nguyen Xuan Thanh replaced Phung Van Nhien, who
suffered a heavy injury after a collision with an Uzbek striker, but
these changes had little impact on the match.
Substitute Rashidov Sardor scored the third goal for the Uzbeks to leave Viet Nam 's Asian Cup dreams in tatters.
"I thought it would be a very difficult game, but it got worse when
Truong conceded a stupid goal. Losing a goal like that disastrously
reduced the team's confidence," Nguyen Van Sy said.
Uzbekistan
's coach looked calm when he entered the news conference room and
dismissed the idea that Truong's blunder was a turning point in the
match.
"I do not think our first goal turned the game in our
favour. In fact, we played well throughout and had already had several
chances to open the scoring," Mirjalol Kasimov said.-VNA