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Vietnam were under a lot of pressure before the game as they had to get at least a draw against Australia to advance. Although not skillful, Australian players were very strong in one-on-one situations. Therefore, when they played defensively, it was not easy for Vietnam to find space.
Australia created the first dangerous chance when Jordan Guerreiro's shot from the right flank hit the post. Vietnam tested Australia keeper Dylan Niski's talent with many shots. But those were all from outside the box and didn't have enough power or precision to beat Niski.
In the 13th minute, Vietnam opened the scoring thanks to Thinh Phat's thunderous strike.
After this goal, Vietnam continued to maintain pressure and could have doubled the gap if Minh Tri's curler didn't rebound from the post. In the last minute of the first half, Thai Huy turned left from the right wing, before beating Niski with a neat left-foot finish.
Vietnam didn't start the second half well and had difficulty when Australia applied pressure. More difficulties piled up for Vietnam when Australia were awarded a penalty after keeper Van Y's foul. Fornito didn't give the Vietnam goalkeeper any chance with a shot into the top corner.
However, amid tough times, Thinh Phat once again became the hero of Vietnam. Gia Hung neatly controlled Duc Hoa's long pass, forcing Niski to come out to block. Hung then made a pass back to Phat, who finished into an empty goal.
Down by two goals, Australia used power play in the last five minutes, but to their detriment. Before they could make a difference, Adeli lost the ball in the middle of the field and created a chance for Doan Phat to shoot from a long distance, making it 4-1 for Vietnam. A few seconds later, from a counter attack, Van Hieu faced Niski and defeated him with composure.
After conceding two consecutive goals, Australia were more careful, but they could not score more goals. Guerreiro ended the unlucky day with his third shot hitting the woodwork. This defeat eliminated the Kangaroos from the tournament, scoring nine goals and conceding 15 times. Vietnam must now await the results of the Myanmar - Timor Leste match to know their final position in the group.
Myanmar will need to beat Timor Leste with a gap of at least five goals to top the group.
AFF Futsal Championship: Vietnam 5-1 Australia
