Vietnam win U19 International Football Championship
Khanh Hoa (VNA) - Vietnam’s team
have won the U19 International Football Championship after beating Thailand 1-0
in the final in Nha Trang city, south central Khanh Hoa province.
Striker Pham Xuan Tao scored
the only goal for Vietnam in the 60th minute.
It was the second time Vietnam
have defeated Thai rivals in a week after the U23 squad secured a 4-0 victory over
Thailand in Group K of the Asian U23 Championship qualifiers.
Thailand started the
game well, clearly irked by the country’s earlier defeat, but with great
support behind them, Vietnam defended well and managed to take control of the
game during the first half.
Vietnam finally broke
the deadlock in the 6th minute. Long Nhat’s long ball put Tao
through on goal and he rounded Rakyart in the Thai goal to coolly finish into
an empty net.
Tao, who finished the
tournament joint lead scorer and most valuable player, thought he had
doubled Vietnam’s lead in the 75th minute but his effort was judged
offside.
As the clocked ticked,
Thailand did have chances to get back into the game but were denied by the
woodwork and brilliance of Vietnamese keeper Quan Van Chuan, who was named
goalkeeper of the tournament.
As well as lifting the
trophy, Vietnam also picked up the Fair Play award.
In the third-place match,
China beat 10-man Myanmar 3-2 to grab the bronze medal.-VNA