Australia clinched the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) U-18 Youth Championship title on Monday after defeating Malaysia 1-0 in the final in Ho Chi Minh City.

This is the Aussies’ fifth trophy after they have competed in the tournament for eight times.

In the group stage, the young Socceroos were beaten 0-3 by Malaysia.

The junior Aussies went on to rout Cambodia 5-1, Vietnam 4-1, Thailand 3-1, and Singapore 5-0 in the remaining matches.

They edged past Myanmar 2-1 in the seminfinals.  

In the final showdown, Malaysia staged a counterattack performance against Australia given the importance of the clash.

The junior Socceroos seemed cautious, firmly handling the ball in mid-field and keeping a low formation.

As a result, few chances were created and no goal was scored in the first half.

Both sides launched more attacks after the break, with the Aussies missing many chances before scoring the winner late in the game.

A pass from a teammate found Lachlan Brook, who clinically beat goalie Sikh Izhan Nazrel in the 79th minute.

Constable could have elevated the scoring to 2-0 but his shot hit the post in injury time.

But that was enough for Australia to lift the trophy for the fifth time, with the other four titles won in 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2016.

Indonesia won the third place following their emphatic 5-0 victory over Myanmar the same day, all five goals netted in the last ten minutes of the first half.

Vietnam were eliminated from the group stage, leading to coach Hoang Anh Tuan resigning from his position.

The 2019 AFF U-18 Youth Championship is the 16th edition of the AFF U-19 Youth Championship, hosted by Vietnam from August 6 to 19.

Australia joined the ASEAN Football Federation in 2013. Before this milestone, the young Socceroos played as invitees in the youth championship.

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