Football: Vietnam U20 lose to Argentina in friendly

Vietnam's U20 football team (red) were thrashed by Argentina U20 4-1 in a friendly on May 10 (Photo: tuoitre.vn)

The match was a rehearsal for the FIFA U20 World Cup in the Republic of Korea (RoK) between May and June 2017 for both teams.

With their outstanding individuals whose skills are world class, the away side dominated the match from kick-off.

Vietnam set out their stall with a disciplined defence and despite the near-constant pressure, managed some impressive counter-attacks.

However, a slip in concentration from the Vietnamese defenders in the 28th minute, Argentine attacker Ezequiel Ponce received a pass from his teammate Marcelo Torres and opened the scoring.

Though both teams had opportunities to find the net, the first half ended 1-0.

Argentina continued to dominate after the break, with Ezequiel Mansilla doubling their advantage with a header in the early minutes of the second half, Torres again the provider. 

The away side pulled away with another two goals through Mendez Ignacio in the 62nd and 87th minutes; however Vietnam refused to lie down and scored a late consolation through attacker Ha Duc Chinh.

Despite the heavy defeat the Vietnamese side will be able to learn from the experience of competing against a greatly superior opponent.

Vietnam's squad will play one more friendly against Vanuatu U20 on May 14 in the RoK, one week before their U20 FIFA World Cup campaign begins against New Zealand in Group E. 

Argentina is a regular face at the U20 World Cup, having won the competition six times, while this is Vietnam's first appearance.

While Argentina hopes to come away as winner of the tournament, Vietnam has already made history as the first ever Southeast Asian team to compete at the tournament.

At the World Cup, Argentina is in Group A with hosts RoK, Guinea and England, while Vietnam is in Group E with France, Honduras and New Zealand.-VNA