Vietnam maintain Group B lead after win against Hong Kong (China)

ABO/NDO – Vietnam continue to reign on top of Group B in the second round of the 2020 AFC Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament after easing past Hong Kong (China) 2-1 at the Transportation Institute Stadium in Tashkent on April 6.

Vietnamese players celebrate their victory against Hong Kong (China). (Photo: VFF)

Hong Kong (China) headed into the match with their strongest lineup, targeting to secure a victory following a goalless draw against Jordan. However, it was the Vietnamese side who set the pace of the game right from the first whistle and created more opportunities to score.

Mai Duc Chung’s troops cruised to a surprise lead after 24 minutes, as Hong Kong defender Sin Chung Yee carelessly handled the ball and forced her team to concede an own goal.

The early opener inspired Vietnam to maintain their dominance, which was concretised five minutes from half time, with forward Huynh Nhu lobbing the ball over keeper Ng Yuen Ki to double their advantage.

After the break, the Hong Kong side made use of Vietnam’s distraction to score their first goal of the tournament, as midfielder Wai Yuen-ting headed home from close range to pull a goal back for their team.

With time running out, heach coach Mai Duc Chung made some substitutions to strengthen Vietnam’s attacking power, which allowed them to create a number of clear-cut chances, with substitute Nguyen Thi Truc Huong wasting two opportunities.

The 2-1 score remained unchanged during the remainder of the game, handing Vietnam a second consecutive victory after 90 minutes of dominance.

In another match the same day, hosts Uzbekistan didn’t break a sweat to beat Jordan with two unanswered goals.

After match day 2, Mai Duc Chung’s side continue to lead Group B three points ahead of Uzbekistan. Meanwhile, Hong Kong (China) and Jordan follow in third and fourth place, respectively, level on only one point.

Vietnam will only have to manage a draw against Jordan in the last encounter on April 9 to ensure their top spot in Group B, thus making it through to the third round of the 2020 Women’s Olympic AFC qualifiers.

(Source: NDO)