An 87th minute header by Keitaishii gave Yokohama the goal it needed to beat Thailand and win the Thanh Nien U21 Cup in HCM City yesterday.

While both teams started cautiously, the first half saw Thailand launching continuous attacks while trying their best to limit their Japanese opponent’s passing strengths.

In the second half, Thailand continued attacking down the flanks, while Yokohama played it straight in the mid-field.

Just as it seemed the game would spill over into extra time, No. 13 Keitaishii headed a pass into the far corner in 87th minute for his team to win the 2016 Thanh Niên Clearmen Cup.

In the other match played yesterday for third place, Văn Toàn scored the only goal for U21Hoàng Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) in the 79th minute, beating U21 Việt Nam.

The key player behind the goal, however, was Châu Ngọc Quang, who back-heeled the ball facing away from the goal, allowing Toàn to rush in and capitalise.

It was a triumph to savour for U21 HAGL after they had faced a setback before the match, with one of their top strikers, Xuân Trường, benched due to injury. 

VNS