Vietnam beat Saudi Arabia 3-1 at the AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2022 in Kuwait on Friday, thereby topping Group D and standing a high chance of securing a berth in the quarterfinals.

Vietnam, 40th on the world ranking, had a tough game against the 25-place-lower Arabian opponent, who put on a surprising power-play tactic from the start.

But Vietnam head coach Diego Giustozzi dealt with the pressure well as he told keeper Ho Van Y to catch his Arabian counterpart Humood Aldahhan’s passes and asked the other players to keep a tight defense and actively constrain the opponent.

Eight minutes to the break, Chau Doan Phat passed inside the box, past the Arabian players, and Nguyen Anh Duy did not miss the opportunity to open the scoring for Vietnam.

After the goal, Vietnam switched to defensive play and waited for counter-attacking chances while Saudi Arabia resumed its intensity by having goalkeeper Aldahhan on the attack.

However, Ho Van Y denied all chances the Arabian players created.

Saudi Arabia conceded another goal when their defender lost the ball during a power play, which could not make it easier for Doan Phat to finish into the empty net in the 27th minute.

However, Phat scored an own goal as Aldahhan’s shot deflected off him and went in one minute later.

The last 10 minutes saw Vietnam playing under great pressure and keeper Y once again proved his worth with many saves.

Just four seconds left, Saudi Arabia let Nguyen Minh Tri volley the ball in from his side of the field to the other and secured the 3-1 win for Vietnam.

The victory kept Vietnam on top of Group D -- the position they had achieved after thrashing South Korea 5-1 two days ago.

Japan are in second and followed by Saudi Arabia and South Korea.

The 2022 Futsal Asian Cup is taking place in Kuwait from September 27 to October 8 with the participation of 16 teams divided into four groups. 

The two top teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals.

Vietnam can still be eliminated if they lose big to Japan in their clash on Sunday, while Saudi Arabia get a grand win against South Korea.

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