VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam went down 1-3 against Thailand yesterday (Feb 16) in the final match of Group C in the Asian Football Confederation Futsal Championship 2016 in Uzbekistan, which also decided who would top the group.

Late loss: After their 3-1 defeat to Thailand yesterday, Viet Nam will face defending champions Japan, who topped Group D, in the tournament quarter-finals. — Photo the-afc.com

With nine points after three wins Thailand will face Australia, Group D's runner-up. Viet Nam will face Japan, the tournament's defending champions, who won Group D's first place after a hard-fought 3-1 victory against Australia, in the quarter-finals of the tournament.

Despite coach Bruno Formoso's comments before the game that Viet Nam would trade blows with their arch rivals Thailand, the Vietnamese players quickly lost control of the game and allowed their opponents to dictate the pace.

A brilliant display by the Vietnamese goalkeeper was the only reason the game remained goalless at half time. The Thai players, while displaying superior technique and physical attributes, were also unlucky with their attempts on goal.

Viet Nam were forced to play on the counter-attack, and while their defense deserve some praise, their counter-attacks were mostly ineffective.

Thailand resumed their domination after the break, and with just nine minutes left on the clock, Thai forward Suphawut Thueanklang broke the deadlock after the Vietnamese defence allowed him too much space from distance.

Viet Nam sprang into life and levelled the game in the 38th minute, a result that would have left them top of the group. However, Suphawut had other ideas and completed his hattrick with two goals in the last two minutes of the game.

Before the match, both teams had already secured a spot in the quarter-finals with Viet Nam holding a superior goal difference after their smashing 8-1 victory against Tajikistan last Saturday. Both teams defeated Chinese Taipei and Tajikistan, the two other teams in Group C.

VNS