Vietnam wins thrilling penalty shootout against Qatar to reach final

Vietnam U23s came from a goal down to hold Qatar U23s 2-2 in 120 minutes of play before beating Felix Sanchez’s side 4-3 in the nail-biting penalty shootout to book a historic place in the final match of the 2018 AFC U23 Championship in China.

Midfielder Quang Hai (number 19) becomes the hero of Vietnam with two goals against Qatar. (Photo: AFC)

Midfielder Quang Hai and goalkeeper Bui Tien Dung became the heroes of the Vietnamese side, as they contributed most significantly to the Southeast Asian team’s convincing victory against Qatar, who had been considered on the upper hand.

Quang Hai accounted for both of Vietnam’s equalisers, while Tien Dung successfully blocked two of Qatar’s five shots in the decisive penalty shootout, thereby helping Park Hang-seo’s side to produce another seismic in this year’s competition.

As the only team to retain a winning streak with four successive wins on their way to the semi-finals, Qatar U23 had been expected to be a tough challenge for Vietnam to conquer. Felix Sanchez’s side played offensively right from the start, pouring constant pressure onto the Vietnamese side.

Despite Qatar’s domination over ball possession in the opening minutes, Vietnam’s effective counterattack strategy prevented the West Asian team from producing any dangers in front of keeper Bui Tien Dung’s goal.

Qatar enjoyed the first clear-cut chance of the match after 10 minutes, but their resulting freekick from the edge of the box failed to break through Vietnam’s defensive wall.

In the following minutes, Vietnam began to fight back with a number of dangerous counterattacks produced; however, neither Cong Phuong nor Quang Hai took advantage of these opportunities to create a breakthrough for Park Hang-seo’s side.

The effective counterattack strategy helps Vietnam to resist against Qatar's attack waves. (Photo: AFC)

Qatar threatened the Vietnamese side with a second freekick nine minutes before half time, but Bassam Al Rawi’s shot was not cunning enough to beat Vietnam keeper Bui Tien Dung.

However, the deadlock was broken in favour of the Qatari side just two minutes later. The Singaporean referee awarded Qatar a penalty after stating that central back Bui Tien Dung pulled down a Qatari player in an ambiguous situation inside the box.

Akram Afif fired an unstoppable converter from the spot, which proved too powerful for the Vietnamese goalie to block despite his correctly predicting the penalty kick’s direction.

In the remainder of the first half, Vietnam pushed hard for an equaliser, with striker Cong Phuong dragging the ball into the Qatari side’s box once, but failing to overcome Qatar’s defensive efforts.

Referee Muhammad Taqi once again made a controversial decision as he denied Vietnam a freekick at the edge of the penalty area, following a Qatari player’s infringement over midfielder Van Duc.

After the interval, Park Hang-seo put Ha Duc Chinh onto the field in replacement of striker Nguyen Cong Phuong, who played ineffectively in the first 45 minutes.

Vietnam was awarded with a 68th-minute indirect freekick inside the penalty area as Qatari goalkeeper Mohammed Al Bakari took the ball with his hand after it was deliberately passed to him by a teammate. But Quang Hai’s awful converter hit the crossbar to the regrets of millions of Vietnamese fans.

However, the Hanoi T&T midfielder quickly redeemed himself by making a long-anticipated equaliser materialise for Park Hang-seo’s side. Only one minute later, Quang Hai punished the Qatari side’s defensive loophole, producing a quick shot from close range to bring the match back to the starting line.

Quang Hai (number 19) celebrates his goal against Qatar. (Photo: AFC)

Goalkeeper Bui Tien Dung brilliantly saved a volley skewed by Akram Afif with six minutes to play, but he then could not prevent Felix Sanchez’s side from restoring their one-goal advantage in a chaotic situation inside the penalty area three minutes later.

As it seemed to be a painful loss for Vietnam, Quang Hai once again became the savior of Park’s side. With two official minutes left to play, Hai dragged past two Qatari players inside the box before curling a left-footed effort toward the top corner, thus leveling the score for the second time.

Hai’s later equaliser forced the semifinal match into extra time, during which neither of the two sides succeeded in earning a decisive goal.

Battling out a 2-2 draw throughout 120 minutes of play, Vietnam and Qatar had to enter the aleatory penalty shootout to determine the owner of the first final berth in this year’s AFC U23 Championship. With four successful shots compared to just three of Qatar, Park Hang-seo’s side has become the first team to seal a place in the final of the competition.

Goalkeeper Bui Tien Dung brilliantly blocks two of Qatar's five shots in the penalty shootout.

(Source: NDO)