Yokohama No. 13 Keitaishii celebrates after his goal helps his team win the U21 Thanh Nien Clearmen Cup in HCM City on December 27(Photo courtesy of Thanh Niên Championship) HCM City (VNA) - An 87th minute header by Keitaishii gave Yokohama the goal it needed to beat Thailand and win the Thanh Nien U21 Cup in Ho Chi Minh City on December 27.
While both teams started cautiously, the first half saw Thailand launching continuous attacks while trying their best to limit their Japanese opponent’s passing strengths.
In the second half, Thailand continued attacking down the flanks, while Yokohama played it straight in the mid-field.
Just as it seemed the game would spill over into extra time, No. 13 Keitaishii headed a pass into the far corner in 87th minute for his team to win the 2016 Thanh Nien Clearmen Cup.
In the other match played yesterday for third place, Dau Van Toan scored the only goal for U21Hoàng Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) in the 79th minute, beating U21 Vietnam.
The key player behind the goal, however, was Chau Ngoc Quang, who back-heeled the ball facing away from the goal, allowing Toan to rush in and capitalise.
It was a triumph to savour for U21 HAGL after they had faced a setback before the match, with one of their top strikers, Xuan Truong, benched due to injury. -VNA
VNA
