Ten-man Vietnam kicked off their campaign to qualify for the AFC U16 Championship with a comprehensive 5-2 victory over Cambodia on September 20 at Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Vietnam’s midfielder Hoang Van Thong vies for a ball against Cambodian striker Sri Piseth during their AFC U16 Championship qualification match on September 20 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

The Vietnamese quickly took the lead in the ninth minute with Quoc Hoang opening the scoring.

However, the Cambodian players let coach Vu Hong Viet and his side savour their success for only four minutes.

Captain Ky Rina equalised the score with a finish that hit the post before finding the back of Vietnamese goalkeeper Nguyen Duy Dung’s net.

From the 20th-minute mark, Vietnam played with 10 men when captain Vu Tien Long was sent off for his violent attempt trying to stop Cambodian striker Bunthoeun Bunnarong in the box.

Cambodia were given a penalty, but Ean Pisey missed from the spot with goalie Dung successfully defending his net.

Playing without their captain, Vietnam, however, had no difficulty to dominate the second half.

Some 10 minutes after the interval, Vo Nguyen Hoang pushed Vietnam in the lead again, dribbling pass two defenders and scoring from the inside box.

Substitute Ha Trung Hau, midfielder Nguyen The Hung and Doan Chi Bao added three more goals for Vietnam in extra time.

Cambodian forward Ly Mael, meanwhile, netted his team’s second goal in the 74th minute. 

The win placed Vietnam second in Group I. In the later match, Australia beat the hosts 10-1 to stay on top.

Vietnam will play their second game on September 22 against Mongolia.

Before the Ulaanbaatar event, Vietnam beat both Cambodia and Australia at the Southeast Asian U15 Championship in July on way to winning the title.

Speaking about Vietnam, coach Nanjid Dash-Yampil of the hosts said Vietnam are the favourites of the group to grab a slot in the final round next year.

While Vietnam’s best result here was the quarter-finals at the 2016 event, Mongolian football was then still nascent. Their current advantages are home ground and local supporters.

VNA