Vietnam rose to the top of Group B in the men’s football tournament at the 2017 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Malaysia after routing Cambodia 4-1 on Thursday.
The victory came on the heels of Vietnam’s 4-0 victory against Timor Leste on Tuesday.
Though Thursday’s match against Cambodia was expected to be an easy win for the Golden Stars, it wasn’t until extra time in the first half that star striker Cong Phuong scored the opening goal. Phuong’s second goal came 30 minutes into the second half.
Quang Hai scored Vietnam’s third goal in the 71st minute and Phuong assisted Tuan Tai for a follow-up goal just six minutes later.
Cambodia netted their only goal of the match from a penalty kick in the 82nd minute, after the ball snuck through the arms of Vietnam’s Tien Dung.
Vietnam now top Group B with six points from their two straight wins.
The SEA Games men’s football tournament is open to under-22 players, with each team allowed three overage players on their roster.
Cambodia’s coach Leonardo Vitorino said his team almost gave up hope after Vietnam’s second goal. Meanwhile, his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Huu Thang called the 4-1 result “relatively acceptable.”
In Thursday’s other Group B game, defending champions Thailand struggled to net their single point for a 1-0 victory against underdogs Timor Leste.
The men’s football competition consists of 11 teams divided into two groups. Vietnam is in Group B with Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Timor-Leste and the Philippines. Host team Malaysia shares Group A with Myanmar, Singapore, Laos and Brunei.
This year’s Games are being held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from August 19 to 30, with 404 events in 38 different sports.
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