Viet Nam draw 1-1 against Qatar

13/07/2007 -- 9:40 AM

Ha Noi (VNA) – Viet Nam earned another point with a 1-1 draw against Asian Games champs Qatar on July 12 at My Dinh Stadium, securing its lead in AFC Asian Cup group B. Phan Thanh Binh put Viet Nam ahead with his first half goal, but the Gulf Cup holders fought back late in the game to manage a draw with Andres Quintana scoring. “It was tough match against strong opponents who have many players that are at least 10 cm taller [than our players],” Viet Nam coach Alfred Riedl told reporters at a post-match press conference. “But we scored and I am happy with the results.” The gold gave the hosts inspiration to pull together sharper attacks with more thorough co-ordination from both wings. Ten minutes before the break saw the best performance from both teams. The Qataris sped up to match the hosts’ rhythm in search of an equaliser, with Andres Quintana and Waleed Abdula keeping Vietnamese goal keeper busy in the last minutes of the first half. Viet Nam kept the pace in the second half but the Quataris kept on pressing the hosts for an opportunity to score. Qatari substitute forward Ali Yahya, who replaced Adel Mohd in the 73rd minute, inspired Quintana’s gold three minutes later when he curved the ball across the field to Quintana to head in from the penalty area. The Qataris were in high spirits after the equaliser and Yahya again put the host team under pressure when he bounced the ball outside the left post. The match saw a number of Vietnamese players tackled and injured, creating a headache for Riedl in planning the lineup for the last group match against defending champions Japan. “Injury could be the biggest problem for us but we will try not to make it easy for Japan,” said Riedl. “We still have a chance and we will still play using the defence-attack method against the Japanese next week in order to qualify for the quarter-finals,” said Binh. Viet Nam are leading with four points, two above Qatar and three clear of Japan who will play the UAE on July 13.-Enditem
Send this page	Print

First global beauty contest for Vietnamese to kick off (12/07/2007)

Female wrestlers bag golds at juniors (12/07/2007)

Viet Nam set for World Cyber Games (12/07/2007)

Laos hires Vietnamese coaches, aiming SEA Games (12/07/2007)

Teen rapper wins hearts of Asian Cup young fans (12/07/2007)

Dak Lak preserves gong culture (12/07/2007)

Troupe dances to success at Smithsonian (11/07/2007)

Viet Nam, Laos's cultural weeks to kick off (11/07/2007)

Vietnamese, Lao artists celebrate shared histories (11/07/2007)

Ancient stone bridge found in Cao Bang (10/07/2007)