Nguyen Thanh Khoi (centre) celebrates his goal in Vietnam's 3-0 win over Mongolia (Photo: nguoiduatin.vn)
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam beat Mongolia 3-0 in theiropening match at the AFC U19 Championship qualification’s Group J in Ho Chi Minh City on November 6.
Nguyen Thanh Khoi opened the score for the host atthe 64th minute.
Ten minutes later, Nguyen Kim Nhat's slick back-heeleffort rebounded off Mongolian midfielder Buyant Munkhbat to make it 2-0 for Vietnam.
The hosts were moving with speed and confidence, and the Mongolian defencesuccumbed to the pressure again two minutes later when Gan-Erdene Batmunkhbrought down Nhat in the box, which Van Tung then duly converted to seal the victory.
In the next match on November 8, Vietnam will meet Guam who were defeated 10-0by Japan.
Coach Philippe Troussier of Vietnam is aiming for top spot in Group J of the Asian FootballConfederation U19 Championship qualification, which comprises Vietnam, Japan, Guam and Mongolia.
The Asian qualifiers will see teams competing in 11 groups with 11 topteams and four best second-placed squad will join the hosts in the finalson October 14-31 next year.
The top four teams of the tournament will qualify for the 2021 FIFAU20 World Cup in Indonesia as AFC representatives.
Vietnam's best result at the event was asemi-final berth in 2016 where they lost 3-0 to Japan. They made history as thefirst ever Vietnamese team to win a slot at the World Cup level./.
