Vietnam scored three times after a goalless 90 minutes against Singapore to win the four-team 2016 AYA Bank Cup in Myanmar on Monday.
Both teams had scoring opportunities in normal time, but neither was able to convert.
One minute into the first half of extra time, Vietnam’s star striker Le Cong Vinh converted a brilliant assist from Van Quyet. Eight minutes later, the duo struck again, with Quyet scoring this time after the ball hit a Singaporean defender following the first attempt by Vinh.
Thanh Trung settled the match in the 114th minute, earning a first trophy for coach Nguyen Huu Thang, less than four months after he took charge of the team.
The AYA Bank Cup was held in Yangon from June 3 to 6, with Vietnam beating Hong Kong 4-3 on penalties, while Singapore defeated Myanmar 1-0 to reach the final.
The hosts won the third-place playoff after also beating Hong Kong on Monday.
The Vietnam Football Federation has awarded the team VND500 million (US$22,321) for their victory, with Nguyen Huu Thang’s journey with the Vietnamese team appearing to be off to a good start with this first-ever title.
Prior to the Myanmar tournament, the 44-year-old former national team player also led the squad to a 2-0 friendly win against Syria in Hanoi.
“I am happy to see my team win the championship; we deserved it,” Thang said after the Singapore victory.
The coach added however that “this was not the strongest Vietnam team yet,” as they are still preparing for a bigger goal: the 2016 AFF Cup later this year.
“The AYA Bank Cup is a good chance for us to prepare for the AFF Cup, but it would have been better if Vietnam had played Myanmar in this competition,” he said.
“In the coming months I believe Vietnam will make more improvements.”
The 2016 AFF Suzuki Cup is scheduled to take place in Myanmar and the Philippines from November 19 to December 17.
Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!