Footballers of Vietnam (in red) and Australia vie for the ball (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - Australia’s 1-0 win over Vietnam was not quite as pretty, unlike the triumph over China last week, reported the SportingNews website.
However, the victory in the September 7 match in Hanoi at the final round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers helped Australia continue their remarkable winning run and gave them vital three points in the bag, it added.
The site also touched on an event in the first half, in which subsequent replays showed the ball struck an Australian defender’s hand when he blocked Vietnamese midfielder Nguyen Phong Hong Duy’s shot just inside the penalty area, with the video assistant referee (VAR) calling for the Qatari referee to take a second look.
Meanwhile, Zac Rayson of Fox Sports said that the game was the opposite of a classic, but the Australian squad overcame draining conditions in Hanoi to scrape past Vietnam 1-0.
Australia had the bulk of possession but weren’t nearly so dominant as in their 3-0 win over China last week, constantly struggling to break down a disciplined Vietnam defence – and were lucky to avoid conceding as the world No. 92 hosts had the better of the chances thanks to their dangerous counter-attacking.
In a stop-start affair, the sluggish and sloppy Australia failed to carve out many meaningful chances, with Grant’s 43rd minute goal the only shot on target from them, Rayson said.
Vietnam are to face China at a neutral venue on October 7.
This is the first time Vietnam have ever played in such a round of World Cup qualifiers. They are in Group B along with Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, China and Oman for a spot at the 2022 Qatar World Cup./.
