Players of Vietnam and Czech Republic vie for the ball (Photo: FIFA) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam have earned a berth at the Round of 16 of the ongoing 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup in Lithuania, after a 1-1 draw with Czech Republic on September 19.
Both teams went into the match tied on three points but Vietnam started the match on the backfoot as the Czech Republic came close to scoring.
Vietnam also had their fair share of chances but Nguyen Minh Tri and Vu Duc Tung both missed opportunities as the score remained 0-0 going into the end of the first half.
(Photo: Getty Images) It was the same scenario after the restart with the Czechs dominating play but Vietnam broke the deadlock against the run of play in the 35th minute through Chau Doan Phat.
The lead, however, lasted for seconds as the Czech Republic equalised through Lukas Resetar's strike.
Vietnam - with four points - finished third in Group D but advanced to the next round as one of the best third-placed finishers. They will play Russian players in the Round of 16.
After the match, Czech media highly valued Vietnam’s steadfastness.
Vietnamese players celebrate their achievements (Photo: Vietnam Football Federation) Ceskatelevize stated that the Czechs were in trouble with Vietnam, but will not miss the playoffs.
It also cited the Czech Republic’s head coach Tomas Neumann’s disappointment with the match result and his players’ performance, as they missed many chances.
Irozhlas site wrote that in the last ninety seconds, coach Neumann took a risk as the Czechs used the power play tactic, but the next goal was not scored./.
