Vietnam began their quest for the elusive gold medal in the men’s football competition at the Southeast Asian Games with an emphatic 6-0 victory over Brunei.

Le Thanh Binh, Mac Hong Quan, Tran Phi Son, Pham Manh Hung each scored one and Nguyen Cong Phuong got a brace when the four-time finalist routed their opponent.

It was one-sided game in the Group B opening match at Bishan Stadium on May 29.

During the first minutes, despite numerous clear-cut chances, Vietnamese side failed to put the ball into the net.

The breakthrough only came after 24 minutes when striker Le Thanh Binh capitalized on a cross from the right wing to shove the ball past Bruneian goalkeeper from a close range.

The score was kept unchanged until the break in spite of Vietnam’s complete domination both in possession and goal-scoring chances.

With the heat waning entering the second half, Vietnamese players even pushed the Bruneian team to their own half and it was just a matter of time for Vietnam to add more goal to the score sheet.

Just two minutes after the break, Tran Phi Son rose high to head home Vietnam’s second goal and the score could have been 3-0 if Nguyen Cong Phuong had been successful with his penalty in the 63th minute.

After many opportunities missed, on the 75th minute, Mac Hong Quan extended the score to 3-0 with a shot right on the edge of the box.

With Bruneian players seeming to be physically drained, Vietnam easily scored three more goals through Pham Dung Huy, Phuong and Pham Manh Hung to complete the rout.

VNA