Nguyen Quang Hai scored the only goal to help Vietnam ’s senior team beat defending champions Turkmenistan 1-0 at the HCM City International Football Tournament at Thong Nhat Stadium on Oct. 20.

In the 58 th minute, Hai made a good run to beat the offside trap before rocketing the ball past the Turkmenistan goalkeeper Berdiyev Bayramniyaz.

The victory is a success for the Vietnam team that played without star striker Le Cong Vinh, who is playing for football club Lexoes in the Portuguese premier league.

Turkmenistan sped up the match in the first few minutes with several shots on the goal, but Vietnamese goalkeeper Duong Hong Son made perfect saves.

“The victory is not a surprise, but a deserved win because our players competed with determination, conference and concentration,” coach’s assistant Le Huynh Duc said during the post-match conference./.