Easily beat Nepal 3-1, Vietnam team closes in on Malaysia

On the evening of October 9, at Go Dau Stadium (Ho Chi Minh City), the Vietnamese team won 3-1 against Nepal in the third match of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

The Vietnamese team easily beat the Nepal team with a score of 3-1. Photo: VFF

Right after the opening whistle, the Vietnamese team proactively pushed up their formation and completely controlled the midfield. With their superior ball possession (75% of the average time), coach Kim Sang Sik's players continuously created great pressure on goalkeeper Kiran Chemjong's goal.

That pressure was quickly materialized with the opening goal in the 9th minute. From Truong Tien Anh's cross, Tien Linh skillfully controlled the ball and then decisively finished, putting Vietnam ahead.

Despite being pressured, Nepal still fought back and took advantage of a set piece to equalize 1-1 in the 17th minute, when Sanish Shrestha jumped high to head past Van Lam. This goal did not change the game, as the ball was mostly on the visitors' side for the rest of the first half. However, the resilience of Nepal's defense and the excellent performance of goalkeeper Kiran made it difficult for the red-shirted strikers to find a way into the net. Before the end of the first half, Vietnam enjoyed a big advantage when Nepal's Limbu received a direct red card after a foul on Hai Long.

In the second half, coach Kim Sang Sik made many adjustments to increase the speed and creativity of the attack. Van Vi, Gia Hung and Thanh Nhan were brought onto the field one after another, bringing a new breeze to the home team's attacks.

In the 67th minute, after a series of missed opportunities, Vietnam finally scored a goal to increase the score to 2-1. Xuan Manh took advantage of the ball's movement in the penalty area to finish low, putting the home team ahead. Less than 5 minutes later, the score was raised to 3-1 when Van Vi quickly kicked the rebound after Hoang Duc's shot was pushed out.

With a safe lead, Vietnam still maintained their dominance and continuously organized high-level pressing, making it almost impossible for Nepal to launch an attack. If they had made better use of the late-game opportunities, coach Kim Sang Sik and his team could have won by a bigger margin.

In the end, Vietnam won 3-1, thereby closing in on Malaysia on the rankings. On October 14, the two teams will play the return match at Thong Nhat Stadium.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/thang-de-3-1-nepal-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-ap-sat-malaysia-719059.html