ASIAD 2018: Vietnamese football squad grabs int’l headlines

Hanoi (VNA) - The Vietnam Olympic football team has received praises from international media following its emphatic win 3-0 over Pakistan in its first match at the 2018 Asian Games (ASIAD 2018) in Indonesia on August 14.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC)’s website said that the team had a “very convincing” victory due to their better professional and experience.

“The experience of having played in the AFC U23 Championship China 2018 last January, where they finished second- proved to be advantageous for Vietnam as they moved with confidence”, it wrote.

Meanwhile, Fox Sports Asia gave praises to “golden boy” Quang Hai, saying that Hai together with Cong Phuong were “on target in Vietnam win”.

“Golden boy Nguyen Quang Hai got the Vietnamese on their way in the 21st minute when he linked up brilliantly with Nguyen Cong Phuong, twice exchanging passes to break into the area before slotting through the legs of Saqib Hanif”, it highlighted.

The crushing victory has also impressed media in the host nation, which believed that the Vietnamese team could have had more goals if they had made use of all avaialbel opportunities.

Sport newspaper Topskor said that U23 Pakistan could not do much to overturn the situation as they were facing the runner-up of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U23 Championship.

Admiring the players in red, China’s Sohu noted that their strength cannot be underestimated.

Also, SportsSeoul of the Republic of Korea lauded the Vietnamese team for their perfect start, stressing that if their brilliant performance is maintained, they will easily beat Nepal in the next match.

The men’s football event will finish on September 1, which features 25 teams in two groups of five and four groups of four. The top two teams from each group and the four best third-place teams will advance to the second round.

Vietnam is grouped with Japan, Nepal and Pakistan in Group D.-VNA